Part man, part wallet
The patient who implanted a credit-card chip into his hand
While reviewing a routine hand X-ray, a registered nurse saw an unusual item and later shared it on Figure 1: a chip implanted between the thumb and the index finger. When asked, the patient said he implanted it himself. What inspired this man to perform his own minor surgery?
The patient explained that the chip was from his credit card, and that for several years he has been “waving his hand” to pay for things. The RFID (radio-frequency identification) chip means he can leave his wallet at home. It also means he’s taking part in a fringe activity called biohacking.
What is biohacking? According to Amal Graafstra, who founded a company called Dangerous Things, it’s using technology to create the next wave of human evolution. Graafstra identifies as a “double RFID implantee” and says in his company’s press kit that his chips, which were implanted in each of his hands just like the example above, allow him “to unlock doors, phones, log into computers, start vehicles, etc. with just a wave of his hand.”
When asked over email exactly why he advocates biohacking, Graafstra explained:
“We are driven by the same thing that drives explorers to sail from safe harbor into unknown waters. We are driven by the same thing that drove early man from caves out onto the plains of Africa. We want to be harder, faster, better, stronger.”
(His email included a link to the 2001 Daft Punk song of the same name.)
Meanwhile, back on Figure 1, the registered nurse treating this patient revealed that he’s planning to insert more devices to do other things, such as open his garage door. The nurse’s response? “I told him I do all of that from my phone, without the risk of infection, and with the ability to update as needed.”
