Subdermal Implant Can Be Tracked via GPS

mack knife writes "Applied Digital Solutions, Inc., received a patent for a device which can be implanted under the skin and powered by biomechanical energy. The device, a transceiver, can be tracked through GPS. God help us all. Yahoo story here." Or see the company's page. If your kid gets lost at MouseWorld^tm, no need to use the park's PA system and annoy everyone by paging him - just whip out the GPS transceiver and home in on him. Maybe we can start implanting them at birth.

Comments

Locking On... [-+-]

[lblack]

I fear the posts that will follow after this. It's always a bit frightening when a technology that we've been familiarised with through distopian science fiction comes to the forefront in the real world.

These would be quite handy for zoologists, marine biologists and their ilk. It would allow for much more tracking than the current tagging systems do. It has few applications with human beings that do not violate civil liberties, however. As a result of this, the inevitable following posts regarding the tag of prisoners, infants at birth and immigrants will be off-base, at least in western democracies.

This is nothing more than a gateway technology that will make life easier for researchers. I very sincerely doubt that human implementation will be permitted unless specifically requested by the individual. As far as gateway tech goes, it isn't even very exciting -- what happened to the light-slower-than-light that seemed to open up so many possibilities?

Ah well.

-l

Re:Locking On... [-+-]

[Syberghost]

If the US government becomes much more oppressive in the future, that's scary; but this technology doesn't really make it that much scarier.

There are lots of ways to track people, and this technology isn't revolutionary.

Don't focus on the tools; focus on the policies and the people. Condemning this technology because it can (and probably will) be misused is EXACTLY the same thing as blaming Columbine on Doom.

Call me an optimist,...

[Jerom]

...but I wouldn't care to have a chip
implanted at birth. If for instance
something were to happen to you,
rescue-teams would find you more
easily.

Maybe they even could integrate
some info on the chip, like your
ID, some basic medical info (think
how usefull it would be if people
wouldn't have to check your bloodtype
after an accident before they can
start transfusing you some blood,
or to know what you are allergic for,
if you already had a shot against
tetanus etc...), your drivers-license
or even your credit-card.

Think about the telecom possibilities.
You could dial someone personal number,
and any phone close to him would just
ring, even if he's sitting in someone
elses office for the moment...
(I helped with the implementation of this
kind of system, but with infrared badges,
in a hospital)

BUT, of course, you should be able to
disable the chip if you wich to...

Just to much of a dreamer I guess

J.

The patent

[Captain Zion]

United States Patent 5,629,678: Personal tracking and recovery system

Apparatus for tracking and recovering humans utilizes an implantable transceiver incorporating a power supply and actuation system allowing the unit to remain implanted and functional for years without maintenance. The implanted transmitter may be remotely actuated, or actuated by the implantee. Power for the remote-activated receiver is generated electromechanically through the movement of body muscle. The device is small enough to be implanted in a child, facilitating use as a safeguard against kidnapping, and has a transmission range which also makes it suitable for wilderness sporting activities. A novel biological monitoring feature allows the device to be used to facilitate prompt medical dispatch in the event of heart attack or similar medical emergency. A novel sensation-feedback feature allows the implantee to control and actuate the device with certainty.

Claims:

1. A transceiver device implantable in a human body comprising:

• a triggerable radio frequency transmitter,
• a power source for powering said transmitter,
• triggering means for activating said transmitter,
• receiver means allowing the detection of an externally generated information signal,
• an antenna for effectively radiating RF energy from said transmitter to produce an identifiable RF signal for a period of time following activation by said trigger means,
• said receiver means comprising an electromechanical device having a binary output, a digital decoder for detecting predetermined time-encoded information in the binary output of said electromechanical device and for providing an electrical trigger signal representative of the presence of such pre-determined information, and said trigger signal causing the activation of said transmitter.

(...)

5. The implantable device of claim 1, wherein said receiver means additionally comprises a sustainable power supply comprising means for picking up periodically available external energy without external electrical contact, storing said energy for use over time, such that the resultant stored energy is sufficient to power the receiver means with enough regularity to ensure proper detection of information on said incoming signal.

(...)

15. The transceiver of claim 1, further comprising sensory stimulus means for providing a noticeable stimulus to alert the human in whom the device is implanted that all or part of said externally generated information signal has been detected by said digital decoder.

Not quite accurate

[Bruce Perens]

Although GPS might be part of the system, you would not track one of these with a GPS receiver, nor can a GPS receiver be adapted to track other objects than itself on the ground. Their literature shows it being tracked by a network of base stations, and possibly repeating the satellite GPS signal on its own frequency.

Also, congress did not cut GPS funding, it cut funding for a modernization of the civilian GPS system in an incompatible way, adding new features. It's possible that DOD could decide to upgrade the defense GPS, the one we are now using, in an incompatible way, but unlikely (think of all the GPS owners in the U.S. calling their congress people).

Bruce