- Title: USA: Technology geeks in the U.S. embed computer chip implants under their skin
- Date: 14th January 2006
- Summary: (L!WE)NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 4, 2006) (REUTERS) CLOSE UP: AN RFID CHIP LYING ADJACENT TO A COIN
- Embargoed: 29th January 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Science / Technology,Lifestyle
- Reuters ID: LVA20L4OCZFYNCABLMM9JX94GM0D
- Story Text: Forgetting computer passwords is an everyday source of frustration, but a solution may literally be at hand -- in the form of computer chip implants. Now, a few technology enthusiasts in the United States are getting RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips embedded under their skin, so they can use it to make every day life tasks easier as well as to create unique, geeky projects. With a swipe of his hand, Mikey Sklar, a 28-year-old Brooklyn resident, is able to get his radio frequency identification (RFID) chip detected by his computer and log on. "I kind of like the idea, the abracadabra effect, I mentioned before, where you just wave your hands and something happens, an event occurs, whether it's a door, password, or internet information being displayed to you," explained Sklar. "I like that magic aspect or what would appear to be." The RFID chip in Sklar's hand can last up to 100 years and was injected by a doctor from Los Angeles who came down to New York City during Thanksgiving last year. The operation took place on Sklar's kitchen table. Sklar said he was more intrigued by the technology's potential in a broader sense. A project that he is working on currently will allow him to download his favorite websites, his email and other information on to his computer, with a wave of his hand, and then view this information through a an LED (Light Emitting Diode) contraption, rather than reading it on a computer screen. Wary of privacy issues, Sklar said he is developing a fabric "shield" to protect such chips from being read by strangers seeking to steal personal information or identities. Sklar is friends with Amal Graafstra, a 29-year-old entrepreneur, who is based in Bellingham, Washington, but spends a lot of time in Vancouver, where his girlfriend Jennifer Tomblin studies. Graafstra was down in New York City recently with his girlfriend Jennifer Tomblin, a 23-year-old marketing student . With a wave of his hand, Graafstra, says he is able to open his front door. At Sklar's home, Graafstra demonstrated how his computer recognizes his tag as well as his girlfriend's when they wave their hands in front of his door lock. "People have been getting implants, hip implants, any kind of implant you can think of, even people getting ornamental implants at tattoo places and body modification places, I just felt like this technology is functional and the impact on the body is very very low, so the benefits outweighed any possible risks involved," Graafstra said. According to Graafstra, in the future, technological advances will allow people to store, transmit and access encrypted personal information in an increasing number of wireless ways. Tattoo artists and veterinarians also could insert the chips into people. For years, veterinarians have been injecting similar chips into pets so the animals can be returned to their owners if they are lost. Graafstra was drawn to RFID tagging to make life easier in this technological age. One advantage of the RFID chip, Graafstra added, is that it cannot get lost or stolen. And the chip can always be removed from a person's body. Graafstra has also written a book on RFID tag usage, titled, "RFID Toys". Graafstra's close involvement with RFID tags, drew his girlfriend Jennifer too into the world of embedded chips. She recently had an RFID tag embedded and said that she fainted during the operation. "When they were putting in the numbing into my hand, I passed out and I've never passed out before, so it was quite shocking when I was waking up and I had no idea where I was and they hadn't even put the chip in yet, so I had to lie down and kind of like regain consciousness and think about where I was and what I was doing," said Tomblin. Sklar, Graafstra and Tomblin have "EM4102 RFID tag Q5" embedded in their hands. These are small glass ampoule tags, while Graafstra also has another Philips tag. The computer chips, which cost about $2 (USD) and 10 cents, interact with a device installed in computers and other electronics. The chips are activated when they come within 3 inches of a so-called reader, which scans the data on the chips. The "reader" devices are available for as little as $60 (USD). Information about where to buy the chips and readers is available online at the "tagged" forum, (http://tagged.kaos.gen.nz/) where enthusiasts of the technology chat and share information. Graafstra said at least 20 of his tech-savvy pals have RFID implants. The fact that folks like Tomblin are willing to get metal embedded under their skin does come as surprise, even shock to many people. Tomblin talked about the response she has received from others. She said, "My grandma was the most shocked. She was a little bit nervous about it and I then I kind of explained how it works and how it's not actually, I can take out any time, it doesn't hurt, she felt it, felt around, didn't scare her after a while. But definitely people were kind of taken aback by it. Another reason why Tomblin and Graafstra were down in New York City was to attend a "dorkbot-nyc" meeting at Location One, a not-for-profit organization space devoted to convergence between visual, performing and digital arts, in Soho. This is a monthly meeting of sound, image, movement artists, designers, engineers, students and other technology enthusiasts from the New York area who are involved in the creation of electronic art. Since dorkbot-nyc started in 2000, many other dorkbots have sprung up around the world. At the meeting, Sklar gave a presentation on embedded chips, explaining the process he used to install a $2 RFID tag in his left hand. Before the meeting started, Tomblin and Sklar showed their embedded tags to friends and fellow technology enthusiasts. Christen Napier, who is also Sklar's friend, expressed reservations about embedded chips and the role that they might play in the future. Napier is concerned that such chips could be used by corporations and governments to monitor and snoop on people. "The chip thing seemed to be just like the ultimate way for like the government to kind of, corporations almost more to kind of control everyone and track what they're doing and what they're buying," he said. Another attendee of the dorkbot-nyc meeting, Spencer Kiser, who is an interactive sound designer, said he didn't like the idea of embedded chips. "I am pretty creeped out by it. I think its, I think its interesting but I don't know if I'd want one in myself though. It's a little too strange," he said. Even as people like Kiser and Napier express doubts about the idea of embedded chips, Sklar and Graafstra believe strongly that this might be the way of the future and will open windows and doors to many other fancy uses. ENDS.
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