Nokia has reportedly issued a patent for a material that can be attached to the human body and will vibrate when the wearer receives an incoming alert.

Other media organizations are essentially describing this patent pending device as a vibrating tattoo.

Nokia describes the devise as a material attachable to skin, the material capable of detecting a magnetic field and transferring a perceivable stimulus to the skin, wherein the perceivable stimulus relates to the magnetic field, according to the patent application.

The device, the vibrating and attachable tattoo, would vibrate in response to a signal from a phone call or text message.

The tattoo would be applied to the user's body by using ferromagnetic inks, according to the patent. The ink would first be exposed to heat in order to demagnetize it and then the tattoo would be applied.

Such demagnetized ink is then used for creating an image by for example dispersing the ink material on or under the skin to make a functional, tattoo like image, said Nokia in the application.

This means that after the tattoo is applied, the user can decide exactly what image they want to appear, just like a normal tattoo, except the ink is a lot more advanced.

After the tattoo is properly applied, the user needs to magnetize it. The patent application details how to do this.

The user may bring the tattooed area in proximity of an external magnet and go several times over this magnet to magnetize the image material again. Such magnetized image may have enhanced sensitivity towards external alternating magnetic fields.

The tattoo will reportedly have an enhanced sensitivity toward other magnetic fields and be able to pick up alerts by cell phones.

Another technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments is to provide potential for security applications and passwords which might be required in interaction with different electronic communication devices for example but not limited to lap tops, desk tops, mobile phones, gaming devices, personal digital assistants, internet tablets., said Nokia in the application.

This essentially means that the tattoo contains software that can synched to a cell phone or other electronic communication device.

Patent