It's not too often case mods cross over into the world of body mods, but when you think about it, it was kind of only a matter of time before people started using laser-etchers to give themselves immaculately detailed burn "tattoos." It's unclear what kind of lasting effects using an Epilog on your own skin will have, but don't be too stunned if it just peels right off and eventually becomes some weird, blurry scar. In other words, attempt this dumbass feat at your own risk. Oh, and you didn't think we would let this one off without a video, did you? It's after the break -- too bad there's no smell-o-vision to give off the nauseating scent of precision-burnt human flesh.
posted Jul 4th 2008 11:32PM
nauseating?
More like delicious!
http://www.instructables.com/files/deriv/F6O/9WH4/FI42NCL6/F6O9WH4FI42NCL6.MEDIUM.jpg
Yummy indeed.
Don't let that rat's nest wig fool you! It's clear looking at the skin pigmentation and freckles that this is the work of a red headed step child....
I've eaten potato chips that smelled just like burnt flesh. Interestingly, they were delicious. They didn't taste like flesh, but I've only ever tasted live, non-burnt flesh, so that may not mean anything.
Sorry for the comment spam, but I'm wondering if there's any place that will laser etch laptops in the Los Angeles area.
Not so interested in etching myself...
I'm fairly certain had you not included "Sorry for the comment spam" your comment would've just been ignored and not low ranked.
Hell, you may have even gotta a on-topic response.
G O O G L E I T
Hey no problem, Here's a link that'll take care of you perfectly!
http://www.drmatlock.com/
Lawl @ gadget. that just made my day
Hi this is Bam Margera, and this is the "Brand of the Future".
This time the dick on his ass will be a lot cleaner and clearer.
Prior to reading this article, I was contemplating attempting this at home where I, naturally, keep a laser-etching machine.
At home? Hrm, I leave mine in the office so the kids can't get to it.
He was being sarcastic...
so was he....
WHOOOOOOOSH! thats the sound of the joke flying over your head chris.
i mean quomen. i accidently looked at the above post
We're actually thinking of getting one at work to cut down our outsourcing. Who's first?
This kid is scarred for life...better get the coconut butter out
Co - Co bu uhh uh thaaaahhh
wonder if it causes skin cancer.
It probably wouldn't cause skin cancer but, it might lead to infection or cosmetic defect.
yeah. i really want to see what these look like 1 year from now. then 5 years. i bet it will look pretty gross.
are those freckles ?
Yes, what does everyone think of freckles? I've always wanted to know...
Is that a toothpick in your pocket...?
hello cancer
Cancer: Hello, chulo9. How's it going? How are the kids?
iPod tatto .... Check
zune tatto .... Check
laser etched eight track tape ...... Here I come
I believe you meant tattoo.
And are you serious?
Tats, piercing, body mods - I welcome any method that allows me to identify bourgeoisie d-bags at 10 paces. It makes life so much easier.
Thats an incredibly ridiculous and uneducated generalization.
You're right. I forgot to add "poseur".
How does it make your life easier? Surely you don't need any help judging other people to maintain your better-then-everyone attitude.
Unfortunately, there is not way to detect you at 10 paces so that we know that a inept idiot is in our vicinity.
And yet everything you mention in your first post has nothing to do with the bourgeois class of Americans. Tats/piercings/etc are usually seen on the lower/middle class (sorry for the generalization, but it's true) instead of the rich. Poseur possibly, that's closer to the right track.
I bet you're racist too. Did you miss that lesson in elementary school about "not judging a book by its cover?" Bigoted fool.
Well I grew up in the lower class and that was my observation. Obviously most of Engadget disagrees, but others' opinions aren't really going to change mine. Statistical evidence to prove me wrong would though.
The only thing better than the smell of burning flesh is the great feeling of skin cancer. Glorious.
I for one welcome our laser-etched robot overlords.
That couldn't have been worth it. I burnt my arm on the element in my oven while removing a potato once and I still don't know what was worse...the pain or the smell.
Having burned myself in virtually every possible way -- campfires, wood stove, ovens, exhaust manifolds, irons, cigarette lighters, etc. -- I feel somewhat qualified to respond.
It is a dry burn just shy of 2nd degree. It'll sting for 3-5 days, fade to skin-tone after a week, and be mostly invisible (save for maybe some slight scarring) within 2 weeks.
Now I need a silicon graffiti tattoo: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/creatures/pages/dilbert.html
I've never been too fond of tattoos, especially tasteless ones, but this takes the cake. You would think he would at least tattoo something a bit more interesting, like a naked woman, or at least related to this attempt, like the logo for laser products, not some poorly-drawn robot and early '80s video game icons. Hmm... perhaps they are fitting. They do scream "nerd."
Well, so does the "what is sunlight?" skin tone.
Personally, I would've gone for some TRON style circuitry on the back of my hand. Equally geeky, but I think the coolness factor would be higher.
I'm curious as to what it would look like a few months from now. Presumably a scar of some sort?
Disgusting? Yes.
Though those looking to get "Pirate" branded like in Pirates of the Caribbean have a pretty sanitary way to do it.
Really, if I want body art, I'll stick to ink.
What a bunch of dumbasses.
+1
Me too.
first to comment. nope
first to low ranked. We'll see what we can do
hmm, youre being sarcastive about the first comment thing right? i mean, as of right now, you have the most recent (as in furthest from teh first) comment on the page.
....how do dumbasses manage to get a laser etching machine?
i want one of those
You can get small craft oriented lasers for around $3k, last I checked. Industrial models start at about $10k for around 35w and a smallish 12x16 or so work space. A better starting point would be a little more powerful laser and an 18x24 work space so you can do some decently sized signage, which I think hits the $15k-$18k mark.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Laser-cutter-start-slicing-stuff-for-under-50-dol/
God, I love me some idiots.
In any shape and form.
I must not fear... fear is the mind killer...
You may think that no one got that reference, but I did, for I am the Kwisatz Haderach.
"No Human has ever withstand that much pain"
i thought the standard semi-obscure utterance was "could he be the one" (said in a low, slightly breathy voice)
he will know your ways as if born to them
Tell me of your home world Usal....
A NERD CONVENTION? ON ENGADGET? WHO WOULDA THUNK?!
FYI, a burn "tattoo" is called a brand. You know, tattoo = ink, brand = heat.
FYI a "brand" is done with wrought iron pokers. where is it in this video? Umm not that I can see, so yes this is a tattoo albeit laser etched, still a tattoo. learn dude. learn.
It is not a tattoo. If you want to categorize it, it is a glorified burnt scar. Nothing more, nothing less.
Its more on a brand side than a tattoo.
Um, if you're going to be all arrogant and stuff, at least look at Wikipedia or something to make sure you're right.
Both tattoos and brands are characterized by their effects, not their methods. Tattoos involve the deposit of ink in the dermis, they layer right under the epidermis. This is usually done with a tattoo gun, but can also be done with a handheld needle, or even by cutting the skin and rubbing ink in.
Brands, on the other hand, are a form of scarification and involve burning or cauterizing the skin to produce a scar. An hot iron is definitely the most common way, but they can also be produced electrically, by a cold iron, or, yes, by laser.
Bottom line: tattoos involve ink. Brands involve scarring.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattoo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarification#Branding
ouch.that's what modern technology is all about....
What will those gingers come up with next?
I hear that about half of them are in possession of something called "ginger nuts" which are, apparently, a British delicacy of a sort
That's kind-uva cool temp tatoo.
We regenerate skin pretty quickly... I can't imagine this would last long.
I agree with you. It looks like that it only affects the top layer of skin. Reckon they might come out with laser diodes that can change the skin color?
My dad has an engraving laser at his business. I was there once when someone had the safety off that keeps you from putting your hands in the machine. He accidentally got his hand in the unfocused beam and it put a white line across his hand that looked just like what you see in the picture. It lasted about 5 days and then disappeared completely. He also said it just stung a little, but didn't really hurt. Now, obviously this tattoo was done deliberately, and in the focused beam since there's an image, but it might not be that bad.
Everyone who doesn't admit that this thing is awesome is a sucker.
Obviously this is something we need in every family.
A quick Etch before a night out
I think maybe he was referring to the fact that he was the first one to say "I want that!", or he's on dial-up/stuck in the past.
this has made me wonder... why has no one ever invented a tattoo machine?
Did you see the movie "Starship Troopers"? They had one there... but yes, that was a work of fiction.
It looks pretty red around the etched area...
A friend of mine pulled of a stunt like this once., only he used a much faster scanning Nd:YAG laser. He just made two interlocking rings.
The laser made the skin red (like a burn) for a while but now it's all gone. Except when he's outside in subzero temperatures, then you can still see it.
stealth tats? v cool
Was his name Gully Foyle?
Back in '88, I would play with a plasma-globe, I put a coin on top (just like they said not to), and if I held my finger about 1/8" away, I'd get a sustained spark between the coin and my skin... With enough practice, I could "draw shapes" on my skin as carbonized flesh...
Yum, Carbonized Flesh.....
I used to do that when I was a kid. The smell was awful. Never got good enough to draw images though.
haha eric is on dial up! eric is on dial up
Good work, Ryan. This has to be one of the most disgusting things I've seen on Engadget. Excuse me while I puke. :p
Seriously - if you're going to scar yourself - shouldn't you pick something a bit more interesting....
I'm curious what they will look like healed.... Can we get a f/u post soon?
This is 'just-in-time-technology', just in time to laserprint 'loser' to the forehead of those people camping outside apple's for the 3G iphone.
I'd pay to see someone do that!
i wanna try that!!!!!
can you say SMALL CELL MELANOMA?? especially with those UV susceptible freckles!
Clueless but negative?
Can YOU say "Wrong end of the spectrum"? CO2 lasers are near-infrared, not UV...
The slow process of burning flesh into a pretty picture reminds me of when I had dial-up......Excuse me, I must call my therapist.....
{whistling a 110 baud carrier}
aww look at the ginger and his burn tattoo.
That looks gross...
I bet after a few minutes the "tattoo" becomes all blistered and nasty and then heals up with some light scar tissue in an indescernable shape. that pacman is gonna look like some dirty sunny side up egg
OMG! it is really plan! mad!
sory! wrong typing! it should be "PAIN" :P
Did he ever hear of a tattoo or henna tattoo? Oh wait, we wanted to be special... Chock up one more piece of proof how far some will go to be "macho."
Gotta love the song in the video, how appropriate...
OUCH!
haha, i'm one of the dumbasses who will probably try this next time i get bored.