Industrial Robot Modified To Tattoo Humans - Would You Trust It?

Two things are obvious - tattoos are massively popular and we usually steer clear of industrial robots while they do their thing. But would you trust a robotic arm to give you a tattoo? This gives a whole new meaning to “think before you ink!”

How does this work?

French designers Pierre Emm and Johan da Silveira have got hold of a robot arm and modified it with a tattoo gun - using similar tech to 3D printers to install a set route for the arm to go.

The artists take a 3D scan of your limb to give the robot precise positioning information, and then its away…

Of course, there are some HUGE risks to this! However, they worked with Autodesk’s applied research laboratory to work through these kinks. 

What the hell happens if I move?

Well, you can’t. As part of the safety process, your limb is securely strapped to undergo tattooing - much like Emm’s in this video.

Is this the end of tattoo artists?

Of course not. This is still in the incredibly early stages of development, but the arm was able to draw and impressively tight spiral line. But there’s no getting away from the big problems here.

Firstly, a human tattoo artist can adjust to the subtle movements of a client - whereas a robot would probably just cut straight into you.

And as you can see towards the end of the video, the robot is running out of ink. It’s not yet self-aware of ink remaining on the gun.

So would you trust a robot tattoo artist?

Like all things, it will come with time. With more development time, this beast could be capable of some impressive geometric work - perfect for all those craft beer-drinking hipsters who have no idea what a geometric pattern is!

But answers in our poll. Would you trust this?