As we’ve reported, at least two companies, one in the US, and one in Sweden, have begun offering their employees optional microchip implants. In theory, the chips make life easier by allowing employees to effortlessly open locked doors and pay for lunch.
In the US, 41 employees at a small Wisconsin technology company voluntarily agreed to be microchipped at a “chip party” thrown at the office. At Epicenter, the Swedish company, employees hold parties for newcomers who take the plunge and become a cyborg.
“The injections have become so popular that workers at Epicenter hold parties for those willing to get implanted.
“The biggest benefit I think is convenience,” said Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and CEO of Epicenter. As a demonstration, he unlocks a door by merely waving near it. “It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys.”
Companies and hobbyists are increasingly experimenting with the benefits of biohacking. Aleksandr Volchek, a Siberian doctor and avowed microchipping enthusiast, has implanted six chips in himself that help him easily pay for things, while also unlocking doors at his home and office with a “wave of his hand," according to Russia Today.
The Novosibirsk-based obstetrician-gynecologist, who calls himself a crypto anarchist, said the chips work like “magic,” and described them as a “time-saving convenience.”
The process of injecting the chip is mostly painless, Volcheck says. Furthermore, he can easily remove the chips whenever he’d like. The chips themselves can be as small as 1.5 x 8mm.
“A syringe with a thick needle is needed to inject a microchip.
The size of a standard chip is 2 × 12mm, and the smallest one is no more than 1.5 × 8mm, the doc says.”
Volcheck believes that someday people will have chips for a range of purposes from payments to medicine. Someday, implanted microchips will encode a person’s medical records, while diabetics might receive chips that function like glucometers to help them monitor their condition, though research suggests this capability is still a few years away, Volcheck said.
“I would like to have a chip for payments.”
“My dream as a crypto anarchist is to have an identification tool for encrypting an electronic signature, and of course for medical application. I also want an implanted glucometer that will resolve a ton of problems many are currently facing, but research is still underway.”
Spurred by the conveniences it offers, microchipping will likely become increasingly popular with hobbyists and companies. Over the next five-to-ten years, we expect that they will be used widely for both work-related and personal reasons.
As more people become comfortable with being microchipped, it makes it easier for governments to adopt mandatory microchipping for identification purposes. What will you do when the day arrives? Will you go along with it, against your better judgment?
Looks like we’ll all know soon enough.
via http://ift.tt/2x5sQF8 Tyler Durden