Picture this: You walk into celebrity tattoo artist Bang Bang’s NYC studio, home to celebrities who are tattoo enthusiasts like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus etc. and instead of a steady hand guiding the needle, there’s…a robot. Meet A.E.R.O. (Artist Enabled Robotic Operator), the new tattooing machine that’s taking precision to a whole new level.
Celebrity Tattoo Artist Bang Bang an Innovator in Tattoo Technology
Bang Bang teamed up with Austin’s Blackdot to launch a machine that’s like an embroidery machine that “maps out” the skin before it tattoos. Bang Bang explained via People, “It’s measuring the landscape of skin to the micron. It’s measuring the needle before it uses it to understand exactly how perfect that needle was manufactured. It is the most precise tattoo machine I’ve ever seen. It does things humans cannot do, and as a tattoo artist, that’s really exciting. It makes me wonder what I can’t tattoo with my hands? What ability does this give me?”
No Replacing Artists
Bang Bang is crystal clear: the machine doesn’t replace the artist: “This has nothing on me. It just adds to what we can do.” He explained, “If someone comes in and wants a tattoo from Mr. K, but he’s not here, he could still draw the art, and the robot could do the tattoo.” Bang Bang added that the robot is more precise with its needlework and so far, he has not yet encountered any problems with customers who did their tattoos using the robot.
Bang Bang also said there’s another added advantage, especially for tattoo artists whose hands aren’t as steady. The artist’s creativity can live on through the robot.
Bang Bang’s studio tested the robot on themselves first and examined it under a microscope to see how precise it was. As of now, A.E.R.O is only available in Bang Bang’s studio but will be rolled out to other shops soon. Clients can now book appointments for their tattoos, although the clients will have to choose from a selection of tattoos.
