A Swedish start-up called Epicenter is offering to implant its employees and start-up members with microchips that function as swipe cards.
This will allow them to open doors, operate equipment or buy food and drinks with a wave of the hand.
The tech has been around for a while - indeed some born again Christians see it as a sign that the anti-Christ is among us, but so far no one has attempted to make it widely acceptable.
The tech raises security and privacy issues. Although the chips are biologically safe, the data they generate can show how often employees come to work or what they buy.
Company swipe cards or smartphones, can generate the same data, but if you don?t want your employer to know that you are in the loo, or bonking Tina from accounting, then you can always leave the card or phone at your desk.
Epicenter, which is home to more than 100 companies and roughly 2,000 workers, began implanting workers in January 2015. Now, about 150 workers have the chips.
The small implants use near-field communication technology, or NFC, the same as in contactless credit cards or mobile payments. When activated by a reader a few inches away, a small amount of data flows between the two devices via electromagnetic waves.
The implants are "passive", meaning they contain information that other devices can read, but cannot read information themselves.
Epicenter workers stage monthly events where attendees can receive the implant, which we have to admit does sound a little creepy.
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Originally Posted by Sparky
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