skin implants for tracking - we don’t think so

Published on August 24th, 2008 in gps navigation, tracking


Reuters ran this article the other day about a Mexican company implanting a chip under your skin to allow your tracking by satellites:

The company injects the crystal-encased chip, the size and shape of a grain of rice, into clients’ bodies with a syringe. A transmitter then sends signals via satellite to pinpoint the location of a person in distress.

We just want to point out that we’re not really convinced with this ‘news’. Such a system would require a GPS receiver, a transmitter, and of course a battery. The transmitter would probably have to talk to a cell tower rather than transmitting signals into space to satellites. Fitting this GPS receiver and transmitter into such a small form factor seems impossible with our current technology. Not to mention GPS receivers and this transmitter they speak of which can shoot signals into space would require a big battery.

You should read the translation for yourself and decide. More than likely this is just an RFID chip that needs to be scanned with a device which usually have a very short range. Maybe they have RFID scanner all over Mexico City…

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3 Responses to “skin implants for tracking - we don’t think so”

  1. gabriel says:

    It is a RFID chip for tracking medical records or other personal information. Not a GPS tracking system.

  2. Tommy Hoglund says:

    In the bible this is called the mark of the best.
    Kind of.

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