Fashion

This Nail Sticker Controls Your Phone Wirelessly

by Danelle A. Sandoval

With the flick of the wris—er, I mean finger, we can now pretty much control everything that is connected via bluetooth. Allow me to introduce NailO, a new nail sticker/art design that acts as an input surface for all of your technological needs. I'm telling you, the integration between beauty, technology, and design just keeps getting better by the second. From transformative clothing to hair tie hacks, we are literally living in the future. You guys, this is really happening.

So, what exactly do I mean by bluetooth and input surface from a piece of nail art? And how is this supposed to make our lives better? Imagine this: you're cooking a really nice meal for yourself while watching Netflix and learning a new recipe off of your computer or phone. You have to scroll down your screen, but unfortunately, because of chopping veggies and stirring marinara sauce, your hands are completely full. It becomes a complete hassle, right? Well, not to worry because by scrolling your finger on your handy dandy nail art device, your computer screen will scroll down for you! No, this is not a joke.

Just imagine all the possibilities: doing a PowerPoint presentation and not having to scroll down from your computer, or subtly turning off your ringer when you forgot to leave your phone on silent in the library. It's just plain fabulous.

Developed by MIT PhD student, Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao, NailO is described as follows:

"A wearable input device in the form of a commercialized nail art sticker. It works as a miniaturized trackpad the size and thickness of a fingernail that can connect to your mobile devices; it also enables wearers to customize the device to fit the wearer’s personal style. NailO allows wearers to perform different functions on a phone or PC with different gestures, and the wearer can easily alter its appearance with a nail art design layer, creating a combination of functionality and aesthetics."

So basically, it's super efficient, advanced, and stylish all at the same time. Mind is officially blown.

And just look at all the different styles and colors:

All in favor of a more fashionable, more functional future, say aye!

Images: MIT Media Lab