With talk of robots taking over human jobs and wandering the streets, it is refreshing to see there is still a place in the world for human-enhancing gadgets. JC Sheitan Tenet, a French tattoo artist, has just been outfitted with a prosthetic arm doubling as a tattoo machine. And yes, he has used it on patrons of his business.
Tenet lost his arm 22 years ago and has spent a good deal of time around prosthetic arms. He was inspired to move beyond everyday prosthetics after seeing the work of Jean Louis Gonzales, a.k.a. Gonzalez, a popular artist and engineer. The two artists happened to meet at various tattoo conventions and Tenet inquired into the possibility of having Gonzales design a prosthetic arm that could also function as a tattoo gun.
They got to work on a model that was originally meant to be just for show, but their plans soon devolved into a functioning prototype. The final hybrid tattoo machine was designed from the combined parts of sewing machine and a record player, taking on a very retro-futuristic look.
The final product was unveiled last week at the Tattoo Motor Show 8, a famous tattooing convention in Devezieux, France. What spectators first assumed to be just a cool-looking (yet useless) prosthetic soon stole the show when it was discovered that the prosthetic was incredibly efficient and even had the potential to rival the skills of a regular tattooist's arm.
Tenet and Gonzalez hope to improve the flexibility of the arm so it can continue to improve and become a more finely tuned instrument.