A digital advertising director from Australia is thought to be one of the first people in the world to have a microchip surgically fitted in his hand. This was done in anticipation of the new iPhone 6, which he says will give him the ability to access his personal information and files with a simple wave of the palm.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald , Ben Slater also says he will be able to open his front door, turn on the lights and will soon be able to start his car with the implant, just as soon as Smartphones on the market are capable of communicating with the chip.
At the moment, the iPhone is unable to read microchip implants, but Mr Slater is of the opinion that the all new iPhone 6 , due to hit the streets any time now, will be a perfect match for his new implanted microchip.
Two weeks ago Slater flew to Melbourne having booked an appointment at a tattoo place and had the tiny chip inserted between his thumb and forefinger.
Slater brought a sealed and sterilised bag containing a larger than usual gauged syringe to his appointment, which had been sent to him from US website, Dangerous Things . The syringe contains a RFID (radio-frequency identification) microchip, slightly larger than a grain of rice.
When asked by reporters why he got the implant fitted, Mr Slater replied,
“It’s freaky to think you can do it. You don’t know what can happen with it. I have always been fascinated by the next step in technology and where we are going with it. And I’m an Apple nut. My wife thinks I’m crazy. But I am just a family dude who has some crazy ideas and stuff.”
Interestingly, some religious Christian groups see the tiny implants as the “mark of the beast,” literally, and have even attacked Slater via his Facebook page since he posted the video of his procedure on it.
That didn’t seem to bother Slater too much though as he said to reporters,
“[I think the implants] opens the real possibility of the ‘enhanced human. Maybe athletes of the not-too-distant future will be bio-enhanced so that vitals can be monitored and influenced? The Olympics of the future could have to ban both performance-enhancing drugs as well as implants,” he said.