PUBLIC MARKS from gdaigle

Advances in inkjet technology forecast robotic origami ... So when will we be able to swap out the ink cartridges in our home printers and print out our own robot? How close are we to being able to print out a robot on a flat sheet of paper, fold along the dotted lines and have it move under its own power?

Squid and octopi do it. They change their skins to blend into the color and textural patterns of their environment. Humans do it too. They change their skins with tattoos. If we could display tattoos that were transient (even animated!) it would be yet another way to express ourselves, our thoughts or even our health. Article looks at concepts for implantable displays under the skin, including past patents by Interval Research, current nanotube work, and dreams of future "nanorobots." There could also be programmable tattoos applied topically to the skin with emoticons or messages uploaded by PDA over a WPAN for medical uses, social applications for "clubbing", even animated face tattoos for sports advertising.