A Swedish start-up injects chip in employees for convenience
New Delhi : A Swedish start-up company 'Epicenter' has found out a strange way to make life of its employee's convenient while working in office.
The company offers to inject a grain-size microchip in members and employees of the company. The chip works as a swipe card: to open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.
The new technique has become so famous in office that workers at Epicenter hold parties for those willing to get implanted.
"The biggest benefit I think is convenience," a news agency AP quotes Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and CEO of Epicenter in its report. As a demonstration, he unlocks a door by merely waving near it. "It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys."
The technology is not new. A similar practice is done on animals to keep a track on them, the only thing is that it has never been tested on human bodies.
While biologically safe, the data generated by the chips can show how often an employee comes to work or what they buy. Unlike company swipe cards or smartphones, which can generate the same data, a person cannot easily separate themselves from the chip.
"Of course, putting things into your body is quite a big step to do and it was even for me at first," news agency AP quotes Mesterton, remembering how he initially had had doubts.
"But then on the other hand, I mean, people have been implanting things into their body, like pacemakers and stuff to control your heart," he said. "That's a way, way more serious thing than having a small chip that can actually communicate with devices."
