Having microchips implanted under our skin is a common future nightmare scenario, the stuff of J. G. Ballard novels and low-budget thrillers.
For one company in Sweden, however, the implant has already become a fact of everyday life. And employees seem pretty happy about it.
Bloomberg reports that around 15% to 20% of the 250 people working at the Epicenter co-working space in Stockholm have opted into a programme that allows them to swap the familiar work swipe card for a subcutaneous microchip, which allows them to swipe into the office, set the alarm system, register loyalty points at nearby retailers and access the gym.
“Physically it was like getting a vaccination; a pain in the hand that was over very quickly,“ Hannes Sjoblad, the company’s chief disruption officer, told Bloomberg.
Apparently, since the system launched earlier this year, Sjoblad has been “flooded” with inquiries about the system.
“Security companies, office operators, real estate companies and even military organisations want to see how this technology works,” Sjoblad says.
Well they would, wouldn’t they?