Would you let a robot give you a tattoo?
Thanks to French designers Pierre Emm and Johan da Silveira, that’s now a legitimate question.
The duo built an industrial robotic arm — the kind that usually puts together cars — called Tatoué that expertly inks up humans using the same needle and ink as traditional tattoo machines.
After completing a 3D-scan of the area the tattoo recipient wants covered, the bot goes to work and neatly reproduces the exact design that’s been created in its custom software program.
While the robot is responsible for replicating the design, a human controls how fast it completes the task, and the device includes an emergency stop option in case the bot starts getting all T-1000 on you.
It sounds crazy, but don’t be surprised to see Emm and da Silveira’s creation at your local parlor. “It was not the goal in the beginning,” they told The Verge, “But many of the tattoo artists and studios we have worked with along the way are impatient to get their hands on these machines.”
At least you won’t have to tip.
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