Now You Can Start Your Car Via A Microchip Surgically Implanted Into Your Hand

A British inventor has designed and implanted a microchip that can start his car just by putting his hand on his steering wheel.

The chip, which has been surgically implanted into the flesh between his thumb and forefinger, uses existing RFID and NFC technologies to send a short-range signal to those systems it’s paired with. As well as having retro-fitted his BMW Z4 to start when he puts his hand on the wheel, Steven Northam has also changed his home and office locks to open for the chip.

While some of us will inevitably argue that this is technology for technology’s sake, Northam believes it will be commonplace in 20 years. The advantages, he says, are that as long as your hand hasn’t gone missing you’ll be able to access your home and/or office. There are no keys or cards to lose, break or fail. On the other hand, if the chip stops working, it’s going to be a lot more difficult to sort that problem out.

It will cost between £230 and £260 to have a chip implanted now that Northam’s company BioTeq has teamed up with a consultant anaesthetist to ensure the procedure is carried out ‘to a medical standard’. He’s hoping that other surgical experts across the country will agree to offer the implant as well.

Changing your locks is a little more expensive, with £300 the quoted price for a new home or office entry system, per door. Complete offices including employee chips cost from £5000, and one business is already making it a reality for its buildings and six employees. Northam hasn’t said how much the Z4’s alterations cost.

Would you go for something like this if it meant a new, totally button- and key-free start for your car, or should we really stop at the current push-button keyless systems?

Via: The Telegraph