Pictured above: those are LEDs. On the tip of a pencil. Yep, in this article io9 talks LEDs–thin, bright, flexible LEDs that are so slight they can be slipped under paper, on pencil tips, and, well, under your skin. Just imagine the possibilities.

John Rogers of the University of Illinois is the brain behind this bright new advance in LEDs. Says io9:

He and his team have put tiny LEDs, each one smaller than the tip of a pen, on flexible electronic sheets. These sheets can be stretched and twisted up to 720 degrees without any loss in LED function, and they can hold up under soapy water or even underneath the skin, which they demonstrated by implant one sheet under the skin of mice.

My first thought? Oh crap, those Avatar-obsessed people are going to finally get their skin to glow blue in patterns.

[New ultra-flexible, waterproof LEDs can be implanted under your skin]