Augmented Skins

X.Bio.Kitchen, Maker Space, Munich.

Most of our wearable devices are add-ons to our body and retrieve signal input from existing sensors, like EEG, EKG, EMG or EDA sensors. We don’t exploit yet the possibilities that lie in interfacing with the skin microbiome for sensing information and encoding data in the body.

Augmented Skins presents a novel approach to biointerfaces in which a synthetically engineered bio film, in form of a patch, is used as an interactive display that sticks to the skin to reflect inner metabolic processes. When applied to the skin, the patch reads our personal “biological code” and displays changes in our internal system to raise personal awareness and indicate health concerning metabolic changes for early disease prevention, monitoring and treatment.

Furthermore, the patch could, upon sensing personal biodata, trigger activation and alteration of the synthetically engineered organisms in order to provide the wearer with life-enhancing nourishment, medication or treatment, e.g. growing a barrier on the skin to protect us from sunburn, increase immunity or changing the skins pigmentation to avoid cultural harassment.

The patch could also convert personal biodata into digital code which could be used to interface with machines for personalized fabrication of all sorts, e.g. preparing a custom health drink based on your personal data. I imagine a bio-database collected through the patch that could be used for collective decision making on different topics.