Conductive Makeup Ushers in New Era of Wearable Tech

Wearable technology doesn’t have to just be coats, hats, weird eye glass displays and, uh, watches. It can also take on a more ephemeral role in our lives. In the dystopian near future, wearable tech will encapsulate everything from skin patches to makeup and back again. Makeup, in particular, has a lot of potential for use in gadgetry, especially once chip sizes continue their onward decrease in size. Some designers aren’t waiting that long, however. Some designers have already started creating the future by crafting their own versions of, for lack of a better phrase, smart makeup. Introducing conductive makeup technology.

Computer scientist Katia Vega was able to develop a way to infuse conductive elements and sensors to turn ordinary makeup into super conductors. Common beauty items like false eyelashes, nails and eyeshadow have been magically transformed into gadget-activating remote controls. That’s right. The old phrase “blink and you’ll miss it” now has actual, and literal, meaning. While wearing the eyelashes, for instance, all one has to do is blink to access their phone, remote control, or other gadgets.

Additionally, Vega has experimented with false nails that have been embedded with tiny RFID chips which allow for you to conveniently unlock a door, shop at the supermarket or even scan for your metro ticket with the tap of a well-manicured finger. This is the creepy future people! We, for one, couldn’t be more excited.

Of course, this tech is all extremely cutting edge. Don’t expect to walk into your local beauty shoppe(extra ‘e’ intended) and find some magical tech heavy nails on the counter. We’ll let you know when this ‘beautiful’ tech begins invading store shelves. In the meantime, here is a video.