Shawdesh desk:

A beauty salon in Dubai is giving new meaning to the phrase “chipped nails.” Lanour Beauty Lounge is offering a tiny microchip for customers’ fingernails.

The chips can have information embedded that allows them to be used as a digital business card, or to pass on information such as an Instagram handle.

They use near field communication technology to connect with mobile devices. “We install the information that you want, like your name, your mobile number, your social media accounts and website as well,” salon founder Nour Makarem told CNN.

Makarem started to offer “smart nails” after the pandemic hit. “The only challenge was how to make it small enough to fit in a fingernail,” she said.

Lanour Beauty Lounge says it has completed more than 500 microchip manicures. Makarem hopes the nail microchip will have other uses in the future, from digital restaurant menus for waiters to contactless payments.