A Real Life Bionic Man

If you are like me, you have a security key badge to get into work. Actually, I have several of these because I work for different companies. Believe it or not, there once was a time when plastic cards were not affixed to human bodies. Of course I'm too young to remember those days, but wouldn't it be nice to ditch all these badges hanging off your waist or neck? Wouldn't it be freeing to just snap your fingers and have a door open? No keys. No swiping ID strips. No punching in security codes or passwords. You wouldn't even have to use a retinal scanner or fingerprint reader...not that many of us do, but you get the idea. Although it does sound convenient to be able to unlock doors with the wave of your palm, achieving this level of "magic touch" doesn't come easy, nor pretty. In fact, a little blood will be shed. Just a little warning, this is not for those with a weak stomach or those possessing a low pain threshold.

Meet Amal Graafstra, owner of several technology and mobile communications companies and a double RFID implantee. What is RFID you ask? RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. It's an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. An RFID tag is a small object that can be attached to or incorporated into a product, animal or person. RFID tags contain silicon chips and antennas to enable them to receive and respond to radio-frequency queries from an RFID transceiver. Passive tags require no internal power source, whereas active tags require a power source. RFID is commonly used by employees who work for tech companies. It comes in the form of a security key badge that not only identifies the worker, but also grants quick/easy access to areas that are locked off from the public. RFID is also a popular choice for pet owners. A small chip is implanted under the pet's skin which gives the dog or cat a form of permanent identification if they should become lost or stolen. I'm sure just about everyone has seen or at least heard of these 2 forms of RFID, but Amal Graafstra combed the two by implanting himself with RFID. Now he can unlock doors with the "magic touch"!

Amal Graafstra not only implanted himself with RFID, but he also wrote the book on it - literally. It's called "RFID Toys" and inside there is a chapter dedicated to his Frankenstein-like experiment. If that isn't enough, Graafstra also has a blog containing photo galleries and videos of the actual surgery. It's his way of documenting the journey from average man to bionic man. I may also want to mention that you can purchase a complete "Do It Yourself Kit" for just under $100. Some may find this a little grotesque, while others will be aww-inspired to try it too. I find it to be interesting, just not interested in doing it. I like my hands in version 1.0, but if you want to upgrade your phalanges, then you may want to look into RFID implantation.