Two MFA candidates Kristina Ortega and Jenny Rodenhouse at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, have designed tracking technology for the nails. This technology is just like the fitness tracking wristbands.
The two students created digital sensors to provide bio feedback, behavior modification, and programmed reminders. The nails are designed to send pulses to the wearer when they are about to touch something, either to prohibit the act or to signal the user to track it.
According to Ortega and Rodenhouse, they were inspired by the ubiquity of nail salons. They envision a new retail service that acts like a nail parlor with a high-tech twist. In these proposed pop-up shops, “technology technicians” embed fingernails with smart sensors that are customizable to provide different services, such as pulses to the user’s fingers. A small buzz to the fingertips could be programmed when the user touches a cigarette, for example, providing a physical reminder to abstain.
