After nearly six years of work, an assistant professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder has developed a tattoo ink that allows body art to disappear and reappear using different types of light.
Dr. Carson Bruns has held many roles, including the role of Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Atlas Institute At CU Boulder. He is also the co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of HYPRSKN, a company that licenses technology from the college. It has a brand called Magic Ink, which Bruns has been working on since joining the school’s staff.
“It was kind of my baby,” Bruns said of Magic Ink. “It felt like there was something no one was working on yet, but something I was really qualified to do.”
As a nanoengineer, Bruns was able to replace the pigment nanoparticles of standard tattoo ink with ones created in the lab. Magic Ink can be turned on using UV light, and turned off when exposed to bright white light or sunlight. It has been patented and is in the process of commercialization.
“It gives you an option to turn it off when you don’t want it to be visible, when you’re at your grandma’s house or when you’re in the courtroom or something, but to have it visible when you do want it to be.” . To be,” Bruns explained. “It’s great for people who are a little less committed to tattoos.”
Bruns is also excited about what Magic Ink could mean for cancer patients undergoing radiation treatments.
“Many patients who have to receive radiation therapy get these little dots or crosses when they first go to the radiologist to align the beam for therapy,” Bruns said. Become permanent reminders of the trauma, and they really don’t want them.
About a year and a half ago, the Bruins entered into a partnership Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy, a renowned tattoo artist who has a studio in New York City. McCurdy has tattooed stars like Rihanna, LeBron James and Miley Cyrus.
“We’re getting very close to unveiling the first body art tattoo made with magic ink,” Bruns said. “Within the next three to six months, I think you’ll start seeing a lot of images from body art created with this ink… It’s really a dream come true for me to know that this really talented artist “Using this invention that we created in our lab.”
Magic Ink has been tested on over 50 people. Another project Bruns is researching is permanent sunscreen.
This story was originally published by Colette Bordelon Scripps News Denver.