CipherX, a London-based biotech company, has developed disposable “Microdot” patches that create permanent tattoos without the pain, noise or conventional needles associated with tattoo guns. The Verge tested the product and found the application quick and effectively painless, suggesting it could make permanent body art more accessible to people deterred by traditional tattooing.

Each patch is about the size of a US quarter and uses 112 microscopic biodegradable needles to place pigment in the upper skin layers. After an applicator pressed the patch onto the skin, it was covered with a bandage and left for 15 minutes; CipherX says it hopes eventually to offer the patches as a consumer-ready product, potentially by post.