Skip to main content

Soon, we’ll all be cyborgs: crowdfunded xNT biohacking implant ships this month

RFID Implant
Image used with permission by copyright holder

After mounting a successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo toward the end of last year, Dangerous Things is now ready to ship its xNT implant to consumers later this month.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar, the xNT is an ISO/IEC 14443-A and fully NFC Type 2 compliant NTAG216 RFID chipset encased in a 2×12 mm cylindrical USP grade lead-free Schott 8625 biocompatible glass casing. In plain English, that basically means it’s a tiny capsule designed to be inserted into your body (usually in your hand) that’s outfitted with a special chip that allows you to interact with a wide variety of other NFC-equipped devices by simply waving your hand or entering a room.

Recommended Videos

Technologically speaking, the device isn’t particularly noteworthy. There already are a number of different wearable devices on the market that allow you to control things via NFC — rings, wristbands, and even NFC tags you can stick on stuff. The tech is fairly common, but what’s significant about xNT is that it’s one of the first ready-made DIY bio-hacking kits that’s aimed toward consumers. It ships with everything you need to implant it in your body.

Up until this point, most high-tech implants were either inserted by trained professionals, like doctors and surgeons who did it for medical purposes, or intrepid bio-hackers who were brave and/or crazy enough to do it themselves. This DIY kit changes everything — never before has there been such an easy way to become a cyborg.

The $99 kit ships with the xNT capsule contained in a sterile syringe, so you can insert it yourself, or head to a piercing or body modification specialist to give you a hand. Dangerous Things even sells a special “pain management kit” if you’re not sure whether you’re tough enough to handle the procedure.

As we mentioned before, you can already interact with and control NFC devices with a variety of different wearables, so while we’re not entirely convinced that implanting an NFC chip into your body is necessary at this point, it’s exciting to think about what the future of DIY implants might hold.

What do you think? Would you put one of these things in your body? Sound off in the comments below. 

Drew Prindle
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
Hyundai Ioniq 5 sets world record for greatest altitude change
hyundai ioniq 5 world record altitude change mk02 detail kv

When the Guinness World Records (GWR) book was launched in 1955, the idea was to compile facts and figures that could finally settle often endless arguments in the U.K.’s many pubs.

It quickly evolved into a yearly compilation of world records, big and small, including last year's largest grilled cheese sandwich in the world.

Read more
Global EV sales expected to rise 30% in 2025, S&P Global says
ev sales up 30 percent 2025 byd sealion 7 1stbanner l

While trade wars, tariffs, and wavering subsidies are very much in the cards for the auto industry in 2025, global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are still expected to rise substantially next year, according to S&P Global Mobility.

"2025 is shaping up to be ultra-challenging for the auto industry, as key regional demand factors limit demand potential and the new U.S. administration adds fresh uncertainty from day one," says Colin Couchman, executive director of global light vehicle forecasting for S&P Global Mobility.

Read more
Faraday Future could unveil lowest-priced EV yet at CES 2025
Faraday Future FF 91

Given existing tariffs and what’s in store from the Trump administration, you’d be forgiven for thinking the global race toward lower electric vehicle (EV) prices will not reach U.S. shores in 2025.

After all, Chinese manufacturers, who sell the least expensive EVs globally, have shelved plans to enter the U.S. market after 100% tariffs were imposed on China-made EVs in September.

Read more