Last year, when news first broke of Wisconsin tech company Three Square Market’s voluntary microchipping of employees, reactions ranged from excitement at this new convenience to fears about an invasive dystopian future. Since then, however, the trend has spread to Sweden where biohacking communities exist in abundance.
What is a biochip?
Before leaving their homes each morning, most people go through a mental checklist of essential items: keys, wallet, phone and IDs. However, Swedish “disruptor” Hannes Sjoblad hopes that this daily ritual could soon become obsolete – his biohack chip implants could render loyalty cards, bus tickets and cash irrelevant.
Biochips are microreactor-based lab-on-a-chips that allow thousands of simultaneous biochemical reactions. Also referred to as lab-on-a-chip, these labs consist of microreactors designed to detect specific analytes like enzymes, proteins and biological molecules; their sensors are typically organized on a glass slide or microtiter plate coated with antibodies for easier detection.
To activate a biochip, the operator needs to create a low-power electromagnetic field via radio signals and generate a low-voltage electromagnetic field that causes fixed circuitry to send an identification code back through radio waves to them; this code serves as a unique identifier of each person who wears one.
Biohackers can now purchase RFID/NFC implant kits online via Dangerous Things; for only $260 they’ll get three chips! For those interested in biohacking chip implants as biohacking tools, consultation with medical professionals regarding risks can also be arranged to discuss risks more thoroughly.
Though this technology offers multiple applications, its most frequent uses include animal identification, remote sensing and wireless communication. Unfortunately, its potential drawbacks include allergic reactions, foreign body osteitis and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) artifacts – three major setbacks that could derail its progress.
While this technology is relatively new, it holds enormous promise and is quickly becoming common in the workplace. But it is essential to keep in mind that any attempt by anyone to use an RFID/NFC implant as an ID card to bypass security measures at work or school may become problematic with extra hassles and privacy risks arising for ordinary individuals – easier and safer ways are available for biohacking their way to becoming better such as improving diet or increasing sleep duration.
NFC chip
As more people use mobile payments, NFC technology has become increasingly valuable to other systems. For example, it can connect devices to the Internet of Things (IoT), creating smarter networks that enable cities and businesses to operate more efficiently.
Yet this technology can also be applied in more direct applications, including medical and health. According to self-described biohacker Hannes Sjoblad, inserting an inexpensive microchip in one’s hand could make loyalty cards, keys, bus tickets and bank cards obsolete.
Sjoblad is part of a movement known as biohackers who utilize chips like the Raspberry Pi to make life simpler and more productive. A biohacker uses biology with an entrepreneurial mindset in order to improve body and mind; popular biohacking techniques may include eliminating inflammatory foods from diet, listening to your body signals, experimenting with supplements for improving health.
Sjoblad suggests that an NFC chip could be programmed to remind users to take their medication, record your location or arrange meetings; or it could even serve as a home automation controller in the future.
NFC chips offer enormous potential, yet aren’t without risks. One such risk is their susceptibility to hacking; hackers have been known to use scanners in order to bypass glass covering.
NFC chips may also become damaged through exposure to magnetic fields, electromagnetic interference or radiation; and any attempt at altering or tampering with it could alter its functionality or even make it unusable.
NExT chips’ built-in NTAG216 memory scheme protects against such hacking by restricting specific memory pages to read-only mode with built-in lock bytes utilizing “one time programmable” bits that cannot be reversed back to zero.
NExT chip’s password protection provides another layer of defense against hacking. With its built-in 32bit password feature, users can encrypt both writing and reading from user memory using password protection. Unfortunately, however, this feature doesn’t come enabled by default and must be manually altered on its web interface to be activated.
RFID chip
An RFID chip is a microchip that utilizes radio waves to identify and track objects or people. When used with a reader, more information about their objects or people can be gained. RFID chips may even be implanted into people to provide medical records access or open doors or make payments, and many have them installed under their skin as a way of connecting with the Internet of Things and living “always-on” lives.
Most people are familiar with RFID technology through microchipping their pets. The chips contain all of their contact details so if their animal goes missing, shelter workers can quickly find its owner using either phone calls or online searches. Furthermore, RFID chips have also become standard practice at sporting events to record times and distances run by athletes.
Athletes can see their own progress while coaches monitor teams as a whole. Athletes may share their data with family and friends who were unable to attend an event; it will be stored on a device and uploaded into a database for later analysis.
RFID chips will soon become embedded in our bodies to allow us to carry all of the information we require – without carrying around wallets or purses – with us at all times. Imagine being able to move through security checkpoints more seamlessly, pay for products and services instantly, access medical records instantly – that would certainly make life simpler than what exists now!
Although RFID technology offers numerous advantages, it also comes with some risks. Some people worry that corporations could use it to track their movements and personal data; others fear invasive surgeries or infection due to it being implanted directly into our bodies – unlike in The Matrix where implantable computers were permanent fixtures; most RFID chips can be removed just like digital tattoos or chest patches without lasting consequences. Regardless, it offers us a glimpse of an innovative future where technology seamlessly blends into daily lives; unlike implantable computers found therein.
The future of biochips
As soon as you step outside your front door, a quick mental checklist typically follows: keys, wallet and phone. But Swedish “disruptor” Hannes Sjoblad believes he could put an end to this ritual by inserting an inexpensive microchip in your hand that could eventually replace loyalty cards, keys and bus tickets altogether.
Sjoblad’s biochips can detect an array of biological activity, from bacteria and viruses to cancer cells and medication responses, such as whether someone experiences drug toxicity. With this data in hand, physicians could adjust dosages or prescriptions accordingly and keep patients on their prescribed treatments.
Another application of this technology lies within eldercare services for people prone to wandering. A smartphone could scan a chip embedded with this information to let caregivers know where someone is located – especially useful for nonverbal dementia patients who could otherwise get lost.
Sjoblad says this technology could also be used to monitor patient health and predict when they may become sick, using data collected by their biochip and an alert system to notify users if symptoms were imminent. Once alerted, steps could be taken such as increasing vitamin intake or seeing a doctor for consultation.
Biochips have become increasingly popular across multiple fields, from clinical diagnostics and pharmaceutical development to environmental monitoring. Biochips enable high-throughput screening, enabling researchers to test thousands of potential drug compounds simultaneously – translating to faster time to market and reduced production costs for new drugs.
The biochips industry is being propelled forward by major investments, collaborations, research and development activities and product releases by major players such as Abbott Laboratories, Agilent Technologies Inc., Bio-Merieux SA, Cepheid Inc., Fluidigm Corporation Illumina Inc Randox Laboratories LTD & Thermo Fisher Scientific. Furthermore, rising demand for organ-on-chip models, wearable biochips & liquid biopsy technologies has also created growth in this sector.
