O2 and Nails Inc unveil new wearable tech that could replace smartphones by 2049

O2 has announced its ‘Mobile Nails’ today (December 19), a wearable tech nail that can be used as a mobile phone.

This comes after a recent claim that smartphones will be replaced entirely by the human body by 2049. The concept of Mobile Nails has been created in collaboration with Nails Inc.

Available from today, consumers will be able to test the tech in Harvey Nichols in London. This will run for a week, and can be found at the store’s Nails Inc counter.

O2’s chief marketing officer, Nina Bibby, said: “The way our customers interact with one another will change drastically in the next 30 years and we’ll need to adapt to this.

“We are always looking ahead to the next developments in mobile and to be able to bridge the gap between fashion and tech is a really exciting challenge.

“People have been customising mobile phones for years but this is the next step towards tech becoming part of how we decorate our bodies.”

Moreover, O2 recently published its Future of Mobility Report, with futurologist Dr Ian Pearson, claiming human bodies and technology will intertwine within three decades.

Pearson has predicted that a mixture of embedded sensors - tiny capsules inside the skin close to nerve endings - and wearable technology, like contact lenses, will change interactions between friends, colleagues and businesses.

He went on to say that, by 2049, physical interaction via virtual reality - including handshakes - could be felt with sensors.

It has been suggested that health and fitness tracking demands will be upgraded to alert emergency services if a user’s condition has deteriorated.

According to a survey carried out by O2 with a pool sample of 2,000 in September 2017, consumers are “looking forward” to body augments.

Around 66 per cent believe advances in technology will make life easier, and just over 26 per cent are excited about the news.