# So, Google wants me to get a neck tattoo? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 14, 2013, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894 "2013-11-14T09:23:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/1 "2013-11-14T09:23:13Z")
OK. I love Google but sometimes I have to wonder. I didn’t mind Google Glass because you could at least take it off, but a neck tattoo that doubles as a microphone/lie detector? Come on guys. If you’re going for the super villain vibe, just buy the white cat and volcano and get it over with. [Excerpt:](http://www.techhive.com/article/2062428/google-wants-tattoos-to-act-as-smartphone-microphones.html) > [@](#): > > The tattoo could include an embedded microphone as well as a transceiver for enabling wireless communications with a nearby smartphone. It could also have a power supply to receive energy from another place on the user’s body, according to the patent filing. > A throat microphone embedded in an electronic tattoo could help reduce street noise and other nearby sounds that often enter microphones and distort communications. > > The application also describes using an electronic tattoo in other ways, including placing it on the throat of an animal to pick up sounds or as a display with a user interface. A specific movement of the throat could cause the display to light up. > > The skin tattoo could even include a galvanic skin response detector to act as a lie detector. “It is contemplated that a user that may be nervous or engaging in speaking falsehoods may exhibit different galvanic skin response than a more confident, truth telling individual,” the application says. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/2 "2013-11-14T13:36:41Z")
_Cue drug dealer scene_ “Boss…! He’s got a neck tattoo…!” “Kill him.” ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/3 "2013-11-14T13:56:37Z")
Part of me thinks this is pretty cool and part of me is freaked out. ---
**Author:** ![Osiris\_the\_1st](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9de0a6/32.png) [@Osiris\_the\_1st](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osiris_the_1st)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/4 "2013-11-14T17:03:52Z")
Yeah, if you read the story it’s not really a tattoo. It’s more like a temorary tattoo in that it is topically applied rather than injected under the skin. About what I figured, another misleading headline just trying to get you to click the link. ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/5 "2013-11-14T17:13:13Z")
> [@Osiris\_the\_1st](#): > > Yeah, if you read the story it’s not really a tattoo. It’s more like a temorary tattoo in that it is topically applied rather than injected under the skin. > > About what I figured, another misleading headline just trying to get you to click the link. That was my suspicion as well and when I read the article I was actually looking for something to indicate that it wasn’t a reall tat but didn’t see anything. Are you talking about the article or did you look at the patent application? If it’s in the article and I missed it, my apologies. ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/6 "2013-11-14T17:21:28Z")
Here is the [abstract](http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=13462881&OS=13462881&RS=13462881)from the patent application, so it sounds like it’s not intended to be a real tattoo because they are are saying “applied” but IDK. > [@](#): > > A system and method provides auxiliary voice input to a mobile communication device (MCD). The system comprises an electronic skin tattoo capable of being applied to a throat region of a body. The electronic skin tattoo can include an embedded microphone; a transceiver for enabling wireless communication with the MCD; and a power supply configured to receive energizing signals from a personal area network associated with the MCD. A controller is communicatively coupled to the power supply. The controller can be configured to receive a signal from the MCD to initiate reception of an audio stream picked up from the throat region of the body for subsequent audio detection by the MCD under an improved signal-to-noise ratio than without the employment of the electronic skin tattoo. But I still don’t see anything in the article that would tip you off to that. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/7 "2013-11-14T17:31:22Z")
Some other articles online seem to suggest electronic tattoos are akin to temporary tattoos. Lasting 24 hours if pre-printed and applied or 2 weeks if printed directly on the skin. > **[Electronic Sensor Tattoos Can Now Be Printed Directly Onto Human Skin](https://gizmodo.com/electronic-sensor-tattoos-can-now-be-printed-directly-o-5989948)** > > Thanks to the same people that brought us the stick-on electric tattoo and stretchable battery, we're now looking at a future of electronic sensors that can be printed directly onto human skin. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/8 "2013-11-14T18:51:00Z")
But then it’s not a tattoo, it’s a sticker. Why are they calling it a tattoo? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/9 "2013-11-14T19:26:34Z")
Because the mark of the beast isn’t quite as sinister when it’s a removable decal. ---
**Author:** ![deltasigma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@deltasigma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deltasigma)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/10 "2013-11-14T20:03:01Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Because the mark of the beast isn’t quite as sinister when it’s a removable decal. Oooo. NOW we’re getting creepy. I can definitely see 3 6’s arranged in a rosette working as a serviceable wifi antenna. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/11 "2013-11-14T20:14:03Z")
A functional tattoo? What a [novel](https://dumpyourphoto.com/photo/fB61sXd2O5) concept. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/12 "2013-11-14T20:23:34Z")
Even if it’s a sticker, how lame is that? A sticker on your neck would be pretty uncomfortable, and what are you gonna do, put a new one on every day? If so, wow, that’s gonna be expensive over time. If not, wow, that’s gonna be filthy. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-google-wants-me-to-get-a-neck-tattoo/673894/13 "2013-11-14T20:25:16Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Because the mark of the beast isn’t quite as sinister when it’s a removable decal. 😃