Yuan hai
Chip absolute chip
The human body chip is not a new concept that emerged recently, and it has been debated for several years. As early as 1998, Brian Warwick, a cybernetics professor at the University of Reading in London, tried to implant a chip in his forearm to see if he could track his position at school with a computer.
However, Applied Data Corporation in Florida recently extended this experiment beyond the field of scientific research, and they are trying to implant this chip into ordinary people.
The chip they invented is called VeriChip. You may have heard of it. 200 1 19 February 19, major media in the United States reported that a doctor in New Jersey, USA, used local anesthesia and implanted a microcomputer chip under the skin of his forearm with the help of a syringe-like device. He followed a similar procedure and implanted another chip under his hip. In fact, this kind of chip has been used in animals for several years before this. They are implanted in pets or livestock to identify them.
The company is currently applying to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow them to implant this absolute chip into the human body. This chip is only as big as a grain of rice and can store six lines of text information and be implanted under the skin of human body. It can transmit 125 khz radio signal. When a nearby instrument scans it, the subcutaneous chip can generate data-for example, your ID number, which can be connected to the computer database and then read more information about you.
Keith Bolton, chief technology officer of Applied Data, said that Absolute Chip was just the beginning. At present, their company is carrying out a new experiment, combining Verichip with another product "Digital Angel" produced by the company. This device allows parents or guardians to observe the position and health status of the ward at any time through the Global Positioning System (GPS). "These two products can be combined into one," Bolton said. "The integrated product will only be the size of a coin, and its way of locating patients will be more advanced."
But in the short term, you can't expect this little chip to make the world safer or make it easier to find missing children. In addition to waiting patiently for FDA approval (which may take several years), some experts point out that there are still several insurmountable obstacles to this technology.
Many human body chips, such as VeriChip of Applied Data Company, are designed as "passive chips", which can only generate information if they are scanned by nearby instruments. But future "active chips", such as a new generation of "digital angels", can send information to the outside world at any time. This means that designers will have to develop a special energy device, which can continuously provide energy for the chip, and this device must be small enough to be embedded under the skin.
Another obstacle is the need to develop a miniature GPS receiver chip, which can not only be implanted under the skin, but more importantly, it must be very sensitive and can receive positioning signals from satellites thousands of miles away.
In addition to these technical issues, many possible legal and privacy issues must be considered. Some people have always wondered what consequences this technology will have on personal privacy and freedom. Li Tianen, a senior lawyer of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is very worried that this technology will be abused: "Yes, the chip is really helpful for finding your beloved family, but if a child can be followed, are you willing to let other unrelated people follow your child?" This is a double-edged sword. Also, when you have a chip on you, who can guarantee that you will not be followed by others? "
In addition, Li Tianen is very worried that once people can secretly know the whereabouts of others at will, they will probably do something extreme. "For example, if it is used to release prisoners or rapists, in my opinion, it is no different from putting them back in prison."
Whether these questions about privacy are true or exaggerated, they are likely to become a stumbling block to the future of human chips, or they may be the problem that this technology must finally solve.
Paul Saffo, an expert of the American Society for Future Studies, said: "At present, hospitals and ambulances will definitely not invest in instruments to detect these chips until people start to implant these chips in large quantities. And if you can't come in handy, who will be willing to implant such a chip for yourself? "
Paul Sappho speculated that if the current trend continues, it is hard to say that we will not become a "robot" that is half man and half machine one day. He said: "We have implanted all kinds of things into our bodies. If you can install a metal hip for yourself, it's no big deal to install a chip. "