My pet dog is micro-chipped but I'm not too sure I would want to be, even if the reason for it was medically beneficial. Scientists in Switzerland have developed a tiny device that can sit under your skin and provide instantaneous blood analysis and transmit that data via a mobile phone using Bluetooth technology.
Ok, so I agree that this could have many benefits medically; things like monitoring diabetes, cholesterol levels and chemotherapy conditions. But it could also lead to other information about your medical status getting into the hands of those you'd rather didn't know about your blood condition. So the emotive question of information security and misuse comes into play yet again. Would you want insurance companies getting those details for instance? On the positive side there could be an argument that the police could do with previously convicted drunken drivers being chipped to make sure they don't fall of the wagon. And how about athletes? We read a lot about dope tests. What about high-level athletes being chipped and their blood condition and, and more importantly, contents being monitored? I can almost hear the squeals of righteous indignation and the claims of human rights infringement at the very thought of it.
So what is this Swiss device? It is a wireless prototype about 14 mm long and sits inthe interstitial tissue just beneath the skin of the abdomen, legs or arms. It can detect, measure and monitor up to five different substances in the blood.
So far, the researchers have tested their device in the lab and on animals and say it can reliably detect both cholesterol and glucose in blood as well as some other common substances doctors look for.
Now Frank Sinatra may have been happy to have Ava Gardener under his skin but would you really want this under yours?