Chipping in

Pic/Amal Graafstra/Flickr

Alexander Volchek, an obstetrician-gynaecologist from Novosibirsk, Russia, recently made headlines after announcing that he recently implanted a bank card chip in his arm, which he hopes will help pay for stuff just by swiping his palm instead of an actual credit card.

The implant has been attempted several times before in Russia, but failed every time, so he hopes to become the first happy recipient of a contactless transmission chip in the country's history. But this is only the latest addition to Doctor Chip's growing collection of subdermal implants, some of which he had done as far back as 2014. The Russian doctor first learned about subdermal chip implants almost a decade ago, after reading an article by pseudo-religious opponents of chipping. He knew that such implants had been used in veterinary medicine as early as the mid-2000s, but the thought of humans getting them intrigued him. He soon learned that such chips were already being manufactured in the USA and China, and it wasn't long before he started experimenting on himself.

Alexander Volchek from Novosibirsk, Russia, had several tiny chips implanted under his skin to help him perform daily tasks seamlessly. Pics/Amal Graafstra/Flickr

Russian media first featured Doctor Chip in 2017, when he already had several small chips implanted in his hand. He had one that replaced his intercom card, one that functioned as a work pass, granting him access through the doors and turnstile at the hospital, a chip that stored his contact information, allowing him to share it with any smartphone via NFC technology, and another where he stored all of his passwords, without the need for encryption.

"In order to get to work, you need to take out your purse, take a card out of it, apply it, put it back, not lose it, it is very important because my wife got her chip after she lost four cards," Volchek said. "Instead of this, with a well-worked out movement, just put your hand to the reader, you don't notice the infrastructure around you. It makes your life a lot easier". Over the years, Volchek has turned from an early adopter of chip implants to a promoter of "body-hacking", performing implantation procedures for over 200 other people, including his wife. His only regret is that the technology hasn't evolved faster.

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