How cool it is when you have to give a post the category of “Beauty” and “Tech” at the same time. Today is the turn of NailO, a wearable input device in the form of a commercialized nail art sticker. It works as a miniaturized trackpad the size and thickness of a fingernail that can connect to your mobile devices; it also enables wearers to customize the device to fit the wearer’s personal style.

NailO allows wearers to perform different functions on a phone or PC with different gestures, and the wearer can easily alter its appearance with a nail art design layer, creating a combination of functionality and aesthetics.

From the fashion-conscious, to techies, and anyone in between, NailO can make a style, art, or a design statement; but in its more neutral, natural-looking example it can be worn and used only for its functionality. As a nail art sticker, NailO is small, discreet, and removable. Interactions through NailO can be private and subtle, for example attracting minimal attention when you are in a meeting but need to reply to an urgent text message. Mimicking the form of a cosmetic extension, NailO blends into and decorates one’s body when attached, yet remains removable at the wearer’s discretion, giving the wearer power and control over the level of intimacy of the device to one’s body.

The device has multiple applications and to me is a good preview of a future where beauty products have multiple functions. We talked here about this back in 2013 with this fake eyelashes. The relationship between our body and technology will be increasingly close, so no wonder we will need solutions that fit well with what we wear.

The project is still in development, but we look forward to see a more streamlined product.