Now colour-changing tattoos that can track diabetes, kidney disease

Getting tattooed has various connotations, from indicating one's status, and culture, to expressing one's aesthetic preferences. Now, scientists have used the technique to help one track their health in real-time.

Scientists at the Technical University of Munich have developed a way to tattoo the skin with a fluid that changes colour when certain properties in the blood spike or decline, Fast Company reports.

This fluid is made of different dyes that react with elements of a person's metabolic system.

The readings of the colour changing behaviour are gauged using a companion app. For instance, if pH levels increase, the ink shifts from yellow to blue, if the glucose spikes, it turns from light green to dark green. The scientists believe such a technique could help monitor specific health concerns at minimal costs.