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A Swedish startup developed a new microchip that can be implanted into a person's body and act like their coronavirus vaccine passport.
A Swedish startup company called "Epicenter" has developed new microchip technology that allows wearers to carry around their coronavirus vaccine passports under their skin, as shown in a viral new video.
In a video posted on Twitter, the South China Morning Post captioned the post with "Beep boop beep: Your vaccination record has been verified." At the beginning of the video, it asks viewers to imagine the possibility of only having to flash your arm to show your COVID-19 vaccine passport.
COVID-19 Passport Microchip Implants
The footage continued to explain that the new microchip utilizes currently existing technology that the startup company was already developing. It said that the chip used "near-field communication" (NFC) to send data to any device that is compatible. One of the listed examples noted that smartphones can be used to receive the data given by the microchip.
"Implants are a very versatile technology that can be used for many different things. Right now it is very convenient to have a COVID passport always accessible on your implant," said Hannes Sjoblad, Epicenter's chief disruption officer, in the video, Komo News reported.
In the video, Sjoblad demonstrated how the startup's microchip, which is the size of a rice grain, has been adapted as a COVID-19 passport that can be implanted under a person's skin either in their arm or between their thumb and forefinger.
A Wisconsin-based technology company, Three Square Market, became the first United States company in August 2017 to offer its workers the opportunity to get free microchip implants similar to Epicenter's technology, Fox Business reported.
Sjoblad added that the microchip had the added benefit of being available even if your phone's battery suddenly runs out and you need to show your proof of vaccination that is stored as data. The official said that, next year, the microchip technology could be used for something else to improve people's lives.
New Use for Old Technology
The startup company has been using the kind of technology used in the microchip for years. In 2015, it announced that it implanted more than 100 of its employees with microchips that allow them to open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with only a wave of their hands.
The technology allows the microchip to send data to a receiver when it is placed a few inches away using electromagnetic waves. In a statement in 2017, Epicenter's co-founder and CEO, Patrik Mesterton, said that the technology's biggest benefit was convenience.
Mesterton said that the microchip technology essentially replaces a lot of things that people use, including communication devices, credit cards, or keys, Dailymail reported. Sjoblad explained the use of the microchip during a Tech2025 webinar, which said that the point of the technology was to replace the need of carrying around key fobs, identification cards, and business cards.
Some experts said that the procedure can be done for as little as $100 and is said to be "completely reversible." Many tech experts have predicted that up to half of all Americans will get microchips implanted in their bodies by 2025. However, Tech2025 said that many lawmakers, advocacy groups, and members of the public, are opposing implants, which would delay the predictions, Fox17 reported.
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