Using human skin as an interactive surface presents unique opportunities for body-based interaction: skin offers a large surface that is always available and easy-to-reach, even during demanding mobility tasks. Skin is inherently multi-modal and lends itself naturally to tactile and visual input and output. It is also a promising platform for continuous monitoring of physiological parameters. We foresee a new generation of wearable devices, which we call Interactive Skin. These devices reside right on the user`s skin and transform it into an input/output surface for computing. By seamlessly fusing natural functions of skin and computational augmentations, they shall enable interactions that are more direct, eyes-free, and more expressive than existing approaches. However, turning human skin into an I/O surface is demanding. Skin is curved, covers complex geometries, can deform and stretch. This stands in stark contrast to conventional, rigid interactive devices. Skin also has a multitude of physiological functions, including tactile perception, thermal management and transport of vapor, which a skin-worn device must be compatible with. Last but not least, since every user`s body is unique and body-worn devices have an important aesthetic component, it will be necessary to personalize such devices to a considerably larger extent than it is common with existing devices.
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