We can all agree that RFIDs are a hassle. Imagine walking into work and realizing you forgot your card at home. That is followed by a half dozen more problems all day, so a Swedish company Biohax sought out a far simpler solution; implanting workers with biochips to replace RFID cards. Another Swedish company Epicenter became the first to implant 150 of its employees with the RFID chips, and now the same is making its way to the US market.
The Wisconsin company Three Square Market is becoming the first in the US to offer its employees to implant the radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips in their hands. Each chip is the size of a rice grain and costs $300, and a person holding one can open doors, log into computers and even purchase food. The little implant will turn you into a walking credit card, and while it may sound a little scary, more people will choose to get one in the near future.
Many people may reject the idea of getting the microchips, but 50 of the 85 Three Square Market employees have opted to get a chip implanted in their hand. The company says it only takes seconds to install and remove the microchip. Inserting one just feels like taking a shot with a syringe while removing one is like plucking a splinter. The entire purpose of the technology is the convenience so you do not have to carry credit cards and ID cards with you at all times.
The company CEO Todd Westby said in a statement, “We foresee the use of RFID technology to drive everything from making purchases in our office break room market, opening doors, use of copy machines, logging into our office computers, unlocking phones, sharing business cards, storing medical/health information, and used as payment at other RFID terminals.” Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.
Find more about this in the video below.
In case you are worried about the microchip tracking you at all times, the chip is definitely not capable enough at the moment. There is no GPS tracker, but the fear of theft may be similar to carrying a regular wallet with cards. Will you get an implant? Let us know your thoughts in comments below.
