Ever see a chip implanted in someone? One of our own puts his body on the line

By Ed Oswald Published January 7, 2017

When you want to find out the latest on emerging technologies, you turn to Digital Trends’ Cool Tech editor Drew Prindle. And when you need a guinea pig to try out those same technologies — no matter the pain required — well, Prindle’s there for that, too.

As those who watched Digital Trends’ live-stream saw, Prindle sat down with Dangerous Things founder Amal Graafstra to discuss his work on implants, which could provide a variety of functionality and make all kinds of things — from safety locks for guns to work badges — a thing of the past.

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We’ll warn you: The process requires an exceptionally large needle (it’ll seem especially large to those who are not fans of needles). But according to Prindle, it only feels like a bad hornet sting, and there was little if any discomfort afterward. “I’ll be able to wave my hand in front of the door to get in the office,” he quipped after both those on YouTube, Facebook Live, and dozens of shocked onlookers had gathered themselves from what they witnessed.

Graafstra stands behind his products and also their safety. Just like the implantable jewelry that has become all the rage in body piercing in recent years, Dangerous Things’ implant is 100-percent safe and causes no issues. Graafstra should know: he has five different chips — including a large one on the top of his arm that was the prototype for all his work.

“After a few weeks it becomes a part of you,” he said. “Eventually you don’t even realize it’s there.”

But why, you ask? The possibilities are endless. Prindle is going to use it to replace his work badge for access to Digital Trends’ office, for starters. But just about anything that uses RFID and NFC can be copied onto the implantable chip — and it has high-grade security to prevent hacking or spoofing, too.

The kits are available from Dangerous Things starting at $99, which include all you need to perform the process yourself. However, Graafstra strongly discourages that and is working with body piercers across the country to have its implant injected in a safe and hygienic way.

Digital Trends is live all week at CES 2017 in Las Vegas. Check out our continuing coverage live on YouTube, Facebook, #DTces, and DigitalTrends.com/ces/.

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For fifteen years, Ed has written about the latest and greatest in gadgets and technology trends. At Digital Trends, he's…

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