Biohaking - a fashionable trend or the technology of the future

What implanted microchips

Tim Shank (Tim Shank) sure will never forget the keys to the front door. Why? Because they are inside his body.

Tim Shank, president futuristic community TwinCities + Minneapolis, implanted a chip in his hand, opening the electronic lock on the front door. The same key is, and his wife.

Leaving the house, you mentally check out a few things, such as a purse or keys. When there is no need to check something on the list, you feel like a mental space is freed.

Tim Shank

Schank We have a few chips in hand, including the NFC sensor, such as those that are used for contactless payments. Sensor Tim stores virtual business card with contacts TwinCities +.

"If a person has a smartphone on Android, I can just touch his hand device, namely the place where lived in by the chip, and it will send information to the phone," - says Tim. In the past, he also had a chip with data of his electronic wallet.

Shank - one of many biohakerov, is implanted into the body of a variety of electronic devices, from microchips to magnets.

Some biohakery chips implanted itself as an experimental art project, others are health problems, so they use implants to improve quality of life.

Another reason for the implantation of chips - the expansion of human perception capabilities. For example, Shank experimented with portable remote sensor, which has launched a vibration magnet implanted in his arm. The mechanism of operation is similar to the operation of the sonar. With this chip, you can see how far away are the obstacles. In addition, Tim is considering the possibility to establish a chip that will monitor his body temperature.

But not all biohakery so ambitious. For some implanted chip - it's just a convenient way to store data or to open the door.

Whether it is dangerous to health

It is still unknown how much risk to health implants are long-term. But many biohakery believe that if all do the right thing, implanted chip is no longer threatens health than piercing or tattoo.

Often, surgery to implant microchips are precisely piercing parlors because the masters have all the necessary skills and equipment for the safe and almost painless body modification.

"When you're talking about, to implant something in your body, in fact, it is even safer than the same piercing" - says Amal Graafstra (Amal Graafstra), founder of the company Dangerous ThingsSupplying products for biohakinga.

His first Amal Graafstra chip implanted in the arm in 2005. It was a device to open the door without a key. Over the years, there are more manufacturers of microchips, as biohakerov wanting to insert implants. Then I set up a company Graafstra Dangerous Things, whose main objective was to ensure the safety of implanting microchips procedures.

"I thought, maybe it's time to turn it into a business and to protect people when implanting chips", - he said.

His company works with a network piercer and removes online instructions and videos for artists who want to join the movement biohakerov.

The future of electronic implants

Now electronic implants can verify the identity of the carrier and open the door. According Graafstra, the next generation of chips will have sufficient cryptographic power to safely work with banking terminals.

Technologies already exist. We can communicate with payment terminals, but we do not have authorization from the banks and companies such as MasterCard, to really work with them.

Amal Graafstra

Payment for goods by using implanted chip may seem strange for ordinary consumers and risky for banks but Graafstra believes that someday it will spread everywhere.

He cites a studyChris Griffith.Implants To Aid Payment With A Wave Of The Hand. Spent by Visa in 2015. It turned out that 25% of Australians are at least interested in the ability to pay for goods chip implanted in the body.

"People think about it, - says Graafstra. - You just need to finish the job. "

Biohaking Beauty

Another technique of implanting more focused on aesthetic component. Biohakingovaya company grindhouse Wetware Pittsburgh offers implantation of LEDs in the shape of a star - an ornament called the "Polar Star» (Northstar).

On the issue of the creators of jewelry inspired by the lights of a device called "Tsirkadiya» (Circadia). This device implanted in 2013 currently founder Grindhouse Wetware Tim Cannon (Tim Cannon). Biometric sensor body automatically send temperature readings Cannon on his smartphone, and when this light due to several LEDs. Unlike "Tsirkadii", the "North Star" is not useful functions. The device created exclusively for beauty and resembles natural luminescence.

"Specifically, this device bears only an aesthetic function, - says a spokesperson for Grindhouse Ryan O'Shea (Ryan O'Shea). - It can highlight the tattoos used interpretative dance with gestures and facial expressions or other types of art. "

Light activated by magnets implanted in the fingertips. This, incidentally, is another common implant. Biohakery believe that small magnets allow to feel the electromagnetic field and to identify problems with electricity, such as faulty wiring.

Also, the magnets in the fingertips attract small metal objects such as paper clips or bottle caps. With such implants can easily feel like a mutant Magneto from the Marvel universe. Fortunately, they are not so strong to deceive metal detectors, erase hard drives, or interfere with the MRI.

"Most customers are implanted" North Star ", also implanted magnets, - says Zach Watson (Zack Watson), piercer, inserting implants. - Installation of magnets - this is a small step toward community biohakerov. This is done in order to change your body and feel the magnetic field. "

According to O'Shea, the second generation of "North Star" will include Bluetooth-transmitter and a gesture recognition sensor, which enables you to control your smartphone and use the Internet. But this is not the only reason that people with implants will update your device. The battery of the microchip, as well as any other electronic device, eventually sits down.

"When the pacemaker is turned off, make an operation to replace it - says O'Shea. - The same should be done with the "Polar Star". Fortunately for users, experienced piercers can replace the device within 15 minutes. "

On the hand makes a small incision, the skin is lifted, the device is inserted, and then the skin is sewn on top.

"If the device has been implanted correctly, remains quite small scar," - says Watson.

He implanted in his hand the magnet, by means of which shows small pets tricks, and raises the needle during operation. But it is not only his implant - RFID-chip in your hand allows him to unlock the phone and automatically upload photos to Instagram.

"My phone has a card reader, and you can use it to scan my hand, - says Watson. - This is a cool way to show off your work. "

Biohaking medical purposes

Company Grindhouse is working on an improved version of "Tsirkadii" - a device that shows the body temperature. Cannon says that in the future "Tsirkadiya" will monitor and other vital signs, such as the amount of oxygen in the blood, the heart rate and blood sugar levels.

He admits that this may create some difficulties for the company. With these features, "Tsirkadiya" will be closer to medical devices, and they are controlled by the Office on sanitary inspection by the Food and Drug Administration (Food and Drug Administration, FDA).

Grindhouse is not the first company offering to monitor your blood sugar levels with the help of implanted devices. For example, there is an artificial pancreas system (Open Artificial Pancreas System) That allows diabetics to create an automated tool to manage blood sugar levels. The system includes a single board microcomputer Raspberry Pi, connected to the insulin pump and glucose monitor.

Another example of application of biohakinga to solve health problems - the history of the Nile Harbissona artist (Neil Harbisson), is colorblind. It uses an implanted antenna, which translates into an audio equivalent color.

O'Shea says Grindhouse as a whole do not mind control. The company already conducts extensive research to make sure that their products are safe and do not break down in the body even after the physical injuries. Grindhouse is only welcomes the regulatory measures that will help protect people from toxic and dangerous implanting of electronic devices.

What companies do not exactly want is the installation of high-grade control measures applicable to medical devices, with respect to the implantable chips like "Tsirkadii". Strict regulatory measures will not develop start-ups and biohakeram and make the device extremely expensive and inaccessible to most potential users.

"The problem with FDA regulation not only by the fact that it would require a lot of time and money from companies that are not ready, but also in the creation of certain restrictions for users, - says O'Shea. - We want the implants were available to more people at a low price to avoid people who are not able to use these technologies. "

But while the implants do not come under the influence of regulatory authorities, hackers are looking for different ways to use these devices.

Biohaking art

One biohakerov using implants in his work - an artist, a dancer, and a self-proclaimed cyborg Moon Ribas (Moon Ribas). Connected to the Internet an implant in her hand reports on current earthquakes moon, and it uses this information to their dance practice. If there are no earthquakes, she does not dance.

She hopes to implant additional or more specific implants that provide the connection to the mainland, where the earthquake occurs, and, perhaps, and reporting of earthquakes on the moon.

"This will allow me to be here and at the same time to be in space," - says Moon.

Ribas is also working on a commercial implant, which will vibrate when the owner will turn his face to the north. In the future, it will help develop the human sense of direction, characteristic of certain animals.

Compared with the implant Tim Schank, just unlock the door, it's pretty ambitious. "I love everything that is related to nature, space or animals, - says Moon. - Everyone has their own interests. The ability to simply open the door with the help of the implant does not interest me so much. "

So biohaking gradually penetrates into the various spheres of activity, but we can not say with certainty whether the firm will take place implants in our lives, or are forgotten as another fashionable trend.

I propose to reflect on the subject in the comments. Is there a future biohakinga in Russia? You want to insert yourself an implant?