Download This Skin-Implantable Chip Can Store Your COVID Vaccine Certificate for free
As the ongoing Coronavirus-led pandemic continues, people are now required to show their COVID-19 vaccination certificates in various public places such as airports, shopping malls and parks to prove their immunity. There are many ways to keep your vaccination certificate digitally in case you don’t want to have a physical copy with you. However, a Swedish startup has now developed a microchip to store individuals’ COVID-19 vaccination certificates that can be implanted into their skin.
Skin implantable COVID vaccine chip unveiled
Developed by a Sweden-based company called Dsruptive Subdermals, the COVID vaccine microchip is a skin-implantable computer chip that can store a person’s vaccination records. It’s a 12-14mm chipset with an NFC antenna and is made from what the company calls a “bioglass” material. in a recent AFP News video on Twitter, Hannes Sjoblad, the company’s general manager, detailed the microchip. You can view it in attachment below.
How does it work?
Now, coming to the question of how it works, the microchip can be implanted in a person’s forearm or wrist. It can then be scanned across the skin using a smartphone, thanks to the NFC antenna, and show all the individual’s vaccination information in a PDF document.
It is also worth noting that the chip can be scanned with anyone’s smartphone as it has NFC functionality. This way you can always show that you have been vaccinated, even if you don’t have your phone with you.
Sjoblad explained that the microchip does not contain a battery or tracking component. So it cannot be used to track the location or activities of individuals, which is a good thing. The chip is only activated when a smartphone comes close. Otherwise it stays “asleep” under the skin, according to Hannes.
For those looking for the implantable vaccination chip, you should know that it costs around €100 (~Rs 8510) for a single implant, which is insanely expensive.
Do we really need implantable chips to store information about the COVID vaccine?
As for the utility of this COVID vaccine chip, the company says it allows individuals to carry their COVID vaccine certificates/passports with them at all times to prove their immunity in public places. So it’s like that QR code tattoo, that an Italian got earlier this year always have their vaccination certificate with them.
In my opinion, although the idea of a Black Mirror-level implantable chip is advanced, it is unnecessary because there are many easier ways to retrieve and store vaccination information. Nevertheless, we’d love to hear your thoughts on this skin implantable COVID vaccine microchip in the comments below.
