While you might have heard of glow-in-the-dark tattoos, which use UV-light activated ink for their effect, this style has been relegated to old school status with the invention of new LED tattoos. These tattoos pop all on their own, using neon colors and moving artwork to broadcast psychedelic rave visuals right on your body.
With tattoos already popularized as a go-to way for EDM fans to express their love of music, adding an LED element could be a fun new option to bring these pieces of art to life.
Artwork by Keegan Sweeney.
The technology used for these tattoos was pioneered in 2009 by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, who developed light emitting diode (LED) devices that could be implanted under the skin and show through to the surface.
Made of a thin silicone material, the electronics are injected into the body with saline through a silk surface that dissolves over time, leaving you with just the LED device and a piece of living artwork. These devices may also be a promising innovation in the medical field as a way for patients to monitor their own bodily functions and overall health.
While the following examples are slightly edited to add glowing, moving light to these tattoos, they’re a great representation of the potential LED devices have to add a new dimension to your body art.
