Difference between revisions of "Device implant"

Revision as of 13:26, 18 April 2019

X-ray showing implanted RFID devices, courtesy www.vox.com.

A device implant, sometimes referred as a microchip, is a small technological device embedded under the skin. In humans, these are types of integrated circuit devices or RFID transponders (radio frequency identifications). Each RFID microchip contains a unique individual identification (ID) number and transmits a unique signal through radio waves which is picked up by a reader and stored into a database. Law enforcement, security personnel, healthcare providers, and private individuals use device implants to hold identification and contact information. The protection and collection of data in a device implant is a cause for concern. The use of such information along with the consent and monitoring of patients is an ethical dilemma.

History

In 1998, the first known case of a human receiving an implant or microchip occurred. British scientist Kevin Warwick became the first human to test RFID surgery and demonstrate the purpose of a human microchip. However, the chip was removed 9 days later. ^[1] Warwick's demonstration paved the way for other scientists such as Mark Gassnon, who purposefully uploaded a computer virus onto his microchip and becoming the first human to be infected by a computer virus.^[2] SInce then, device implants have been created for many different purposes, both influential and sometimes harmful to society.

Physical Makeup

Current devices are usually cylindrical in shape and has approximately the size of a grain of rice. The most common implant location is between the thumb and forefinger. Both Human implants and microchips in animals are contained in a glass case, which is not indestructible, but is hygienic for sub-dermal implanting. ^[3] Most implants rely on RFID technology while some qualify as near-field communication (NFC) chips, a type of high-frequency radio wave communication. They do not require any charge or battery power and only function through radio wave sensing via a small antenna.^[3]

Current uses

Human device implant technology has proliferated over the years as it allows a way to access information and store ticket codes, passwords, and more. Because of this it is reducing the need to carry keys, IDs, or remember login information. ^[4] It can be used to unlock cars, offices, or homes, or log on to technological devices or systems, such as phones or laptops. ^[3] Implants that are NFC compatible can also store Bitcoin or other virtual wallet addresses plus in Sweden it can carry citizens' regional train tickets.^[3]

Jowan Osterlund holds an implant, courtesy www.hd.se.

Jowan Osterlund started the firm Biohax International after a career as a professional body piercer. He says, "Having different cards and tokens verifying your identity to a bunch of different systems just doesn't make sense… Using a chip means that the hyper-connected surroundings that you live in every day can be streamlined." ^[5]

In recent years, the company Dangerous Things has become a leading producer and proponent of human device implants. ^[6] Currently, they assume that there are between 50,000 to 100,000 people worldwide who have implants.^[3]

In 2017, the Wisconsin company Three Square Market made headlines after offering free microchipping to their employees.In August 2018, it was announced that they were seeking to upgrade the initially simplistic devices to more powerful ones to include GPS tracking and voice activation. ^[7]

Healthcare

The healthcare industry has begun utilizing device implants for patient monitoring. Firms such as Three Square Market have begun seeking markets for GPS tracking chips for patients with mental health disabilities, such as Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Some chips have been developed to monitor vital health signs, contain patient's personal medical records and/or medication lists. ^{[7] [8]} Devices such as cardioverter defibrillators^[9] have assisted the healthcare system by allowing doctors to monitor vital signs of patients outside of the office. There has been research conducted for an implant that would stop neurological seizures. The device is implanted in the brain so at the first detection of a seizure the implant would release a brain chemical to stop the seizure. ^[10] This implant could possibly treat brain tumors or Parkinson's. Currently, there is ongoing research at creating a "Neural Lace," or mesh network injected into the brain to monitor and deliver targeted treatments to the brain.CEO Elon Musk founded the neurotechnology company Neuralink, with the aim to "treat serious brain diseases in the short-term, with the eventual goal of human enhancement," via the neural mesh interface. It comes the implication of humans being competitive against A.I.'s with human-level or higher intelligence. Despite efforts in the industry to build the interface, Academic researchers like Charles Lieber at Harvard University have been testing lace-like electronic mesh that "you could literally inject" into three-dimensional "synthetic and biological structures like the brain." In 2016, his team published a paper in order to prove that mesh-brain implant can integrate into a mouse brain and record stable neuronal recordings for at least 8 months. ^[11]

Aiding the Color Blind

The industry began to create devices that could physically aid disabled patients. A device has been created to treat those who are color-blind. This chip is implanted in the brain and works by playing sounds corresponding to the wave lengths of the colors. ^[12]

Personal Blood Tester

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne's researchers have created a personal implantable device so individuals can test their own blood. The implant has five sensors, a bluetooth transmitter and a basic power source to provide an immediate analysis of the blood.The radio transmits the results immediately to the physician. ^[13]

Firearm regulation

Amal Graafstra has begun developing an implant-activated ‘smart gun’, which can only be fired by the person with the matching implant ID. The idea is that this would make firearms more secure by limiting them to a single user. ^[14] Currently, creating a smart gun technology isn't always reliable due to external factors that effect the "smart technology" ability to perform. Leveraging RFID's as device implant technology would increase the reliability of the owner's gun performance and add another level of control by only allowing guns to operate with the owners recognized RFI.

Popular culture depiction

The 2018 movie Upgrade focuses on certain styles of human device implants. The movie's characters have guns implanted in their arms and some had an implanted device that connects to their brain stem to control their bodily functions. In this movie, one of the devices becomes so smart that it instructs his user on how to hack himself to give the device full control over their operator without consent.This raises a pressing ethical question that will need to be addressed prior to this situation becoming a reality. With these type of implants, future engineers will need predict worst potential scenarios so they can create solutions to avoid these issues. This will allow them to build trust and allow human the option to override or control when necessary. This is recommended in order to ensure that a scenario, such as the one in Upgrade, does not happen.

Actress Bailey Madison plays foster child with RFID implant

In 2010 Law & Order SVU episode "Locum", a child complains that her foster parents threatened not to let her outside unless she agreed to have an RFID chip implanted into her arm. The detectives investigate further by visiting a company that produces RFID chip implants used in hospitals and to track children. They learn that it is not advanced enough to track anyone like a GPS would, but that the child would be identifiable if the chip was read.

Employer Uses

A Wisconsin based company is offering their Employees to be microchipped instead of using an id card to swipe into work. At Three Square Market, a mid-sized company, nearly sixty percent of employees prefer to be inserted with a microchip oppose to carrying a physical id. Each chip costs 300 dollars.^[15] The chip has more benefits than just tracking, as employees may use their chip to purchase snacks and other daily office things. The company is growing and so are the amount of employees that opt into the microchip.

Animal Microchip Implant

Example of animal microchip compared to a grain of rice

Upon adoption, pet owners may opt to have a microchip implanted into their pet as unique form of identification.^[16] It is a safe, cheap, and effective way to identify an animal so it can be reunited with its owner if it ever gets lost. Typically, the service is offered by veterinarians and shelters for roughly $50. The process is noninvasive and only causes temporary pain through a quick injection for the animal involved. The chip itself has no internal energy source so it will last the life of the pet. ^[17] Many companies have begun to offer multi-purpose microchips that go beyond just pet identification. These 'smart' microchips have abilities such as opening pet doors and pet feeders to ensure that only the right animal has access. ^[18]

Ethical considerations

While there is some concern for infection after implantation as swelling or slight discomfort may occur after insertion. Most companies work with experienced body piercers to reduce this health risk. There are debates in regards to the ethical complexity of the implant devices.^[3]

Data protection

The Agence France-Presse reported in May 2018: “Swedes have been very active in microchipping regardless of the scant debate about issues surrounding its use. Its ironic considering that its in a country keen on new technology and where the sharing of personal information is held up as a sign of a transparent society… Sweden has a track record on the sharing of personal information, which may have helped ease the microchip’s acceptance among the Nordic country’s 10 million-strong population.” ^[4] A local pioneer in human implants, Jowan Osterlund has stated that he believes “that if we carried all our personal data on us, we would have better control of their use.”^[4]

However, this localized collection of data is concerning to some. Ben Libberton is a microbiologist at MAX IV Laboratory. He summarized the greatest risk as having to do with the data collected on and by the chip. “At the moment, the data collected and shared by implants is small, but it’s likely that this will increase.” ^[4] He points to the looming question of collecting the data and deciding how to share, handle, or destroy it.^[4] “The more data is stored in a single place as could happen with a chip, the more risk it could be used against us.”^[4]

The chips can possibly be compromised it's explained by Tarah Wheeler, an information security researcher. Some of the technology can be cloned which allow access to those who are not owners of a chip and the ID data stored in it.^[3]

Consent and monitoring

Some, including John Halamka, MD points out that patients would have to provide consent for implantation before receiving a device. However, the progression of mental disease such as Alzheimer’s can make the timeline for this difficult for some to manage.^[8] In real time, the sharing and storage of medical health records, location history, or access codes presents opportunities for companies or other bodies to exploit customers' data.

The American Medical Association regulated the ethics of RFID implants within the last 10 years to protect consumer health data.^[1] Many fear that the data collected from these devices could be collected and aggregated and lost or shared without the owner’s consent. Similarly, there is a fear that the devices might be forced upon a certain group for surveillance or exploitation, compromising their freedom and privacy.^[1]

In the future, ethical issues such as tracking employees or preferential hiring to those who agree to a chip may occur. ^[19] Some argue that the current models of microchips seem less risky however the issue is quickly becoming a slippery slope as the technology advances.

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Khan, Naveed. (2015). RFIDs Chip Implants and their related Ethical Issues. 10.13140/RG.2.1.3717.6166.
2. ↑ Gasson, Mark N. “Human Enhancement: Could You Become Infected with a Computer Virus?” Human Enhancement: Could You Become Infected with a Computer Virus? - IEEE Conference Publication, 7 June 2010, ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5514651.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6} Grauer, Yael. “A Practical Guide to Microchip Implants.” Ars Technica, 3 Jan. 2018, arstechnica.com/features/2018/01/a-practical-guide-to-microchip-implants/.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} “Why Thousands of People in This Country Got Microchip Implants.” South China Morning Post, 13 May 2018, www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2145896/thousands-people-sweden-get-microchip-implants-new-way-life.
5. ↑ Savage, Maddy. “Thousands Of Swedes Are Inserting Microchips Under Their Skin.” NPR, NPR, 22 Oct. 2018, www.npr.org/2018/10/22/658808705/thousands-of-swedes-are-inserting-microchips-under-their-skin.
6. ↑ “About Biohacking.” Dangerous Things, www.dangerousthings.com/biohacking.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Holley, Peter. “This Firm Already Microchips Employees. Could Your Ailing Relative Be next?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 23 Aug. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/08/23/this-firm-already-microchips-employees-could-your-ailing-relative-be-next/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5367229835b5.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} “Human-Implantable RFID Chips: Some Ethical and Privacy Concerns.” Healthcare IT News, 28 Dec. 2008, www.healthcareitnews.com/news/human-implantable-rfid-chips-some-ethical-and-privacy-concerns.
9. ↑ “Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD).” Www.heart.org, 30 Sept. 2016, www.heart.org/en/health-topics/arrhythmia/prevention--treatment-of-arrhythmia/implantable-cardioverter-defibrillator-icd.
10. ↑ University of Cambridge, "Electronic device implanted in the brain could stop seizures", August 29, 2018, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180829143824.htm
11. ↑ Sanford, Will This “Neural Lace” Brain Implant Help Us Compete with AI? http://nautil.us/blog/-will-this-neural-lace-brain-implant-help-us-compete-with-ai
12. ↑ How a Color-Blind Artist Became the World’s First Cyborg, MICHELLE Z. DONAHUE 2017, news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/worlds-first-cyborg-human-evolution-science/
13. ↑ "Under the skin: a tiny laboratory", sti.epfl.ch/under-the-skin-a-tiny-laboratory/
14. ↑ Anderson, Brian. “Meet the Bodyhacker Building an Implant-Activated Smart Gun in His Garage.” Motherboard, VICE, 8 Aug. 2016, motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/pgkz8y/biohacking-smart-guns-RFID-implants-amal-graafstra.
15. ↑ Why most of Three Square Market’s employees jumped at the chance to wear a microchip, Trent Gillies, August 13, 2017, www.cnbc.com/2017/08/11/three-square-market-ceo-explains-its-employee-microchip-implant.html "
16. ↑ Microchipping of Animal, AVMA, August 1, 2016, https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Reference/Pages/Microchipping-of-Animals-Backgrounder.aspx"
17. ↑ How the Microchip Works, HomeAgain, 2019, https://www.homeagain.com/what-is-a-microchip.html
18. ↑ Your Pet Microchip Can Do More Than Ever Before, HomeAgain, 2019, https://www.homeagain.com/smart-products.html
19. ↑ “Implanting Microchips: Sign of Progress or Mark of the Beast?” Center for Digital Ethics & Policy, www.digitalethics.org/essays/implanting-microchips-sign-progress-or-mark-beast.