Recently, a Swedish company has been experimenting with implanting microchips into the hands of its employees. The chips give them access to the building and other functionalities that would normally only be accessible via a hardware device, like a key fob.
In the light of human enhancement, we are already living in a society of cyborgs. Think of the people who have smart technologies within their bodies; pace makers, insulin pumps etc. All of them are smart, connected technologies that regulate various functions in the body. They enable us to make the blind see again, the paralyzed feel again, the deaf hear again and the crippled walk again.
The RFID microchip invented for the Swedish company was developed by a Swedish biohacker, Hannes Sjoblad, whose original purpose was to reduce the amount of “stuff” in our pockets. By inserting the chip in his own hand, he invented a way to leave your membership- and business cards, USB sticks and keys at home. Further development of his invention has led to a microchip that can power almost anything that is battery operated. In this way, the integrated microchip is making everyday tasks and interactions faster and easier.
Animal-testing with microchips has already been done. Take for example “the cyborgs rats in maze experiment”, in which is demonstrated how rats can escape a maze with the integration of machine intelligence. But, biohackers are taking it a step further to human experimentation. They are hacking existing gadgets to use them for our own convenience instead of medical purposes. In this way, they are discovering new uses for technologies in human bodies, enhancing the body artificially and hacking the methods and objects of biology to use it to our own advantage. Their practice can therefore be regarded as a ‘Do-it-Yourself Biology’.
The effect of this development is that the connectivity between things is moving to the connectivity between human bodies, expanding the territory of the Internet of Things rapidly. The question is, do we actually want to be connected to others or devices through our bodies?
As remarked by CBS News correspondent John Blackstone, the microchips used in the experiment are radio frequency identification tags that are able to track everywhere we go. Each touch leaves a digital footprint which can put one’s privacy at risk. In addition to this, Ian Sherr, an executive editor at CNET, stresses that we are talking about a non-stop connection to our bodies, which cannot be turned off.
Despite of these possible risks, a US based company called 32M is preparing to implant microchips in 50 staff –members who volunteered to take part in the experiment. As Hannes Sjoblad himself stresses, it is most important to educate people and give them the tools to use the technology. Especially when it is used against them.
Sources:
- Sjoblad, H (November, 2016). Hannes Sjobald: The coming Age of Human Augmentation. Retrieved from https://www.hannesjoblad.se/
- Reese, H. (July, 2017) How implanted microchips are extending IoT from objects to human beings. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-implanted-microchips-are-extending-iot-from-objects-to-human-beings/?ftag=TREae230e8&bhid=27382919477462785123580642070374
- Simons, M. (2017)- Cyborgs and Biohacking: From Grinders to Synthetic Biology.
- Yu, Y. et al. (2016) Intelligence-Augmented Rat Cyborgs in Maze Solvin.
- CBS News. (2017, April 12) Microchips implanted in humans: Practical or perilous? Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/microchips-privacy-implants-biohacking/
