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Ink Hunter app allows users to try on tattoos without the “day after” regret

A new application on the market allows users to try on tattoos before permanently etching it on their skin. Ink Hunter is the product of a small Ukrainian team of four with the goal to “build (a) simple and straight way from an idea of making tattoo – to (a) real one.”

Currently available for iOS, Ink Hunter is a free app that uses augmented reality to project a preset or drawn tattoo on any part of your body – be it hand, foot, arm or even face.

According to TechCrunch, Ink Hunter started after a 48-hour hackathon in July 2014. The team consists of CEO Oleskandra Rohachova, CTO Pavlo Razumovskyi, UX/UI developer Iryna Petrunko and iOS developer Olesya Ponomarenko.

“Last release, we managed to adapt our algorithm to awry (inked on square) smiles,” Razumovskyi told TechCrunch. “Next step, adapt it to different conditions: darkness, shadow, veins and so on. We are working not only on improving detection but also accuracy and stability of tattoo position on skin.”

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The app uses an iPhone camera to find the “square smile” drawn on the user’s body, placing the tattoo on that part of their skin. Then, through filters and editing, the user can fix their tattoos to look just like the real thing.

Users can try on default tattoos — from Chihuahuas and jellyfish to mandalas and flowers — to tattoos from artists like Angelika Ferrous, Ira Napoleon, Nickolai Jitenko and Toma Tmina. Users can create their own tattoos through the “My sketches” tab and then try on their designs.

Once “inked,” the app will give users the option to buy flash tattoos or temporary versions of the tattoo they have tried on. The app also links users to the tattoo artist’s Instagram pages.

“We are involving tattoo artists to connect them with our users,” Razumovskyi said. “In doing so, our app will become a funnel, which starts with people who are just thinking about a tattoo and ends with those who are confident in the tattoo they want and artists who can get it done.”

The next step for Ink Hunter is to have over 50 artists to choose from along with an updated interface.

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