Are you a fan of Science Fiction movies? You may have seen movies where people manipulate things by simply gesturing or moving a hand over a screen or in the air? Well, something akin to that is happening already. Very recently, Ben Slater, a digital advertising manager, was one of the handfuls of people who took the step to achieve something like that.
Two weeks ago, Mr. Slater has had an RFID microchip inserted into the palm of his hand. The microchip, which is about the size of a grain of rice, is a device that enables Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). RFID isa technology, which allows one’s identity in the form of electromagnetic data to be transmitted wirelessly. How it is supposed to work is what we will be talking about. Such devices are also known as NFC (Near Field Communication) devices.
As you know, most high-end smartphones are able to control things such as door latches, lights and just about any gadget through proprietary apps as long as they are NFC enabled. Apple’s iPhone is the leading device in this field, or in other words, most apps designed for this purpose work with the iPhone. As of now, these apps are used by physical touches and swipes.
But what if you could control these apps remotely? The possibilities are endless! You could potentially control your doors, windows, lights, and gadgets through your iPhone without actually touching it! Isn’t that cool?
But you know what? As of now, RFID devices can only theoretically give you the ability to do that. No Smartphone exists that has the capability. But most people were expecting that the iPhone 6 (that was unveiled on the 9th of this month) would. Unfortunately it is too soon to tell if it does or not. However, Mr. Slater who has had the RFID microchip inserted in the webbing between the thumb and the forefinger of his left hand is hoping it will.
As he says the most obvious thing that it will allow him to do is store his personal information on the chip. It would then let him transfer his contact details to another NFC enabled phone by simply touching it with the device in the palm of his hand. A cool party trick some would say, but it has its uses. He continues by saying that it can also trigger any action on his phone to turn on or off the lights, open doors, and even probably be set up to control the ignition in his car, and have keyless entry and engine start.
He told the Daily Mail, Australia that he had done it as he was always interested in very advanced technology. Well, this is cutting-edge, definitely.
The chip had come from the USA and Mr. Slater had it implanted at a tattoo parlor! Chip implantation for carrying medical information and some other reasons, has been allowed in the States since 2004 but this may well be a first in Australia. This process of implantation into one’s own body, popularly known as “bio-hacking”, started around that time. It is believed in certain circles that more widespread bio-hacking will make the concept of a cashless society fully effective.
The unfortunate side effect of this may be a problem of personal data security. It is a truism that hackers can and will hack into any electronic pathway or repository that is hackable. There are also some physical problems with bio-hacking, though:
• If not handled properly the chip may not be secured and will shift.
• Without proper sterilization, infections may happen resulting in the rejection of the device.
• Besides although the operation is very quick, there is a lot of pain.
However, with widespread use, proper procedures will surely be formulated. But, as of now, there is no getting away from the great possibility that in the future we will be waving our hands at each other and getting things to happen. Abracadabra, 21st century style?