Kermit swings on your boo-boo with augmented reality Band-Aids

By Deborah Netburn

May 23, 2012 12 AM PT

Your boo-boo routine just got an upgrade.

Thanks to a new augmented reality app from Johnson & Johnson, Muppet branded Band-Aids can now function essentially like QR codes, letting animated Muppet characters talk to you from wherever you’ve placed the Band-Aid.

Here’s how it works: Open the Band-Aid Magic Vision app on your phone, and point the phone at the Band-Aid. Then look at the screen and you’ll see an animated Kermit the Frog appear to be swinging over the bandaged boo-boo singing “The Rainbow Connection,” or an animated Miss Piggy asking you to take her picture, or Gonzo engaging in an ill-planned death-defying feat.

Talk about Muppet magic!

The free app works with any of the six large Muppet branded Band-Aids that are widely sold in stores. The Band-Aids sell for a couple of bucks and change for a box of 20.

The technology was provided by Qualcomm and the app was created by the advertising and marketing company JWT, whiich also helped create a campaign around diapers that look like jeans.

We think augmented reality Band-Aids have the potential to be a childhood game changer, like light-up shoes or temporary tattoos.