I Got Chipped: A Dispatch From The Frontier Of Wearable Tech #WearableWednesday #Chipped #RFID
A Wisconsin company is pushing the boundaries of implanted chip technology. Fast Company visited and got chipped!
I have an RFID, or radio frequency ID, microchip implanted in my hand. Now with a wave, I can unlock doors, fire off texts, login to my computer, and even make credit card payments.
There are others like me: The majority of employees at the Wisconsin tech company Three Square Market (or 32M) have RFID implants, too. Last summer, with the help of Andy “Gonzo” Whitehead, a local body piercer with 17 years of experience, the company hosted a “chipping party” for employees who’d volunteered to test the technology in the workplace.
A single RFID chip could feasibly let you board the subway without having to pull your phone out of your pocket or fumble with a paper pass, and, if loaded with information about allergies and blood type, could save EMTs some time and save your life in the case of a serious accident.
It’s been three months since I got chipped, and though I don’t use on a daily basis (yet), it is funny to think about how fast my views on the technology changed. In planning the trip to Wisconsin for Fast Company, I was adamant I wouldn’t leave the great Midwest with an implant. By lunchtime, I was revisiting that position and by around 4 p.m. I’d decided to live with it for a while.
Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!