Extreme tech: Magnets implanted into wrist to hold iPod nano

How much do you love your iPod nano? Do you want to carry your beloved music player on your wrist, but you feel like watch bands are tacky? If your name is Dave Hurban, then the answer to those questions are “a damn lot” and “hell yes”.

Hurban drilled holes into his wrist and plugged them with magnets to hold his iPod nano. He calls his invention the iDermal. It’s fantastic and it blurs the line between art and utility.

I remember reading a story on Wired years ago, about “body-mod” artists that implant tiny magnets into their fingers to give them a “sixth sense.” The magnet would augment their body’s ability to detect magnetic fields. It enabled them to do cool things like detecting if an electrical cord was live before touching it.

In Hurban’s case, his four new implants are just there to hold his 6th generation iPod nano, but the finished result looks attractive with his colourful tattoo serving as backdrop.

Pebble watch? Pffft.

Fanboy, artist or just crazy? Whatever your opinion of Dave Hurban is, the man’s got balls. Kudos.

Check out this video of Hurban performing the implant procedure on himself.