On a short-range radio frequency identification chip (RFID), you can put all the information we carry in our wallet. For example, the chip can send our identity to a hotspot when we walk through a security gate. With this implant, your OV chip card will be abundant and you'll never have worry about standing in line at the grocery store for long periods of time. The payment for your groceries will automatically be processed.
Thousands of people worldwide have already been microchipped.
The RFID chip is actually a mini-tuner receiver, roughly the size of a grain of rice, to which different types of information can be stored. For example, consider an ID number linked to a database with more detailed information about the carrier. The earliest known experiment with a RFID implant was conducted in 1998 by British scientist Kevin Warwick, professor of cybernetics at Reading University in the United Kingdom, who was the first person to implant a RFID chip in his arm in 1998. The purpose was to investigate whether his computer was able to follow his movements wirelessly and he used his implant to open doors and switch on lamps. This implant has since been stored in the Science Museum in London.
When Applied Digital Solutions in Florida began with the implantation of their VeriChips - now PositiveID - in the beginning of 2000, the technology really came true, especially after approval of the FDA in 2004.
Meanwhile, there are already nanochips that are smaller than a grain of sand and can be injected easily.
Without knowing, most of us already use RFID chips every day. The miniature equipment in the body works through the so-called Near Field Communication Technology (NFC). For example, such NFC chips are available in our bank passes that make contactless payment in the Netherlands possible.
We can access office buildings and hotel rooms, borrow books in the library and use our OV chip cards. The disadvantage of plastic cards with the chip is that we can lose them and are sensitive to theft. An implanted RFID chip, on the other hand, cannot be lost or stolen.
In addition, there are companies that implant such chips under the skin of cats and dogs. This way, the vet can read the medical history of our four-legged friends
Our passports, IDs and driving licenses already contain microchips. Minimal changes in the infrastructure at airports, train and bus stations would be needed to scan your hand or arm instead of your card. You would only have to walk past a reader.
Implanted RFID chips also prove to be practical at work, in hotels, at the gym and in many other places where you need to identify yourself.
An implanted RFID chip can also be used to quickly access a patient's medical data such as illness and drug use, allergies and all other information relevant to medical emergencies, especially when a patient is unconscious. These implants are especially useful for people suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease or Alzheimer's disease. The chip itself does not contain a complete medical history of the patient, but a unique code that can be used to retrieve information from a database.
Imagine being able to start your car by hand or opening your front door once you arrive. With a RFID implant this, and more will all be possible.