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Objectives Tattooing is not an evolved behavior, but it may be a phenotypic gambit to highlight immunological health. Phenotypic gambits are traits or behaviors that appear costly but occur at high rates as a honing process of natural selection not constrained by genetics. Tattooing is an ancient practice that is increasing in popularity worldwide, but it involves wounding the body, which seems counterintuitive because it challenges the immune system and makes one more susceptible to infection. But tattooing may represent a costly honest signal of fitness by “upping the ante” in an era of hygiene or a means to stimulate the immune system in a way that improves and highlights underlying fitness. Materials and Methods We investigated this hypothesis by assessing bacteria killing activity (BKA) in saliva samples collected during two studies of tattooing (N = 40). We compared previous tattoo experience (extent of body tattooed and hours spent being tattooed) to BKA before and after getting a new tattoo. Results Tattoo experience positively predicts post-tattoo BKA (β = 0.48, p = 0.01), suggesting that people with more tattoo experience have a relatively more immediate and active immune response than those with less tattoo experience. Discussion Tattoo experience may elevate innate immunological vigilance, which could aid in protecting against future dermal insults.
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Towards Tattoo Previewing and Other Augmented/Mixed Reality Applications with Microsoft Kinect
As tattooing becomes more popular, so too does tattoo removal. Removal is painful, expensive, and not always effective. To avoid tattooing that customers will later regret, potential customers could use augmented/mixed reality to preview tattoo designs. This paper explores technical tools and methods using computer vision to overlay a digital image, like a tattoo design, on top of frames from a live video feed of the user’s body. Using an RGB camera and depth camera, in this case the Microsoft Kinect, body position and volumetric data are captured. Two methods are presented for using this data for tattoo preview along with the methods’ pros, cons, and state of development. This project was developed by and for high school students and educators to bridge the gap between secondary students and interesting new technology previously reserved for university-level studies.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1710716
- PAR ID:
- 10088293
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- IEEE 9th Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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