Wisconsin vending machine company Three Square Market has a plan to implant microchips in its employees. There will be no need to swipe credit cards or ID badges, as these chips will allow workers to pay for food and drink in the company’s break room, open doors, log in to computers, and use the copy machine.
The company will become the first business in the U.S. to offer its employees free and voluntary microchip implants.
Each implanted radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip will cost about $300. Employees will be glad to know that the company will foot the bill. The chip is as small as a grain of rice and will be implanted under the skin between the thumb and the forefinger.
Three Market Square CEO Todd Westby said, “Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.”
The company’s chief operating officer, Patrick McMullan, said, “The international marketplace is wide open and we believe that the future trajectory of total market share is going to be driven by who captures this arena first.”
Although this technology sounds quite interesting and promises an exciting future, there are definitely some concerns about privacy and security, since the chip will carry a lot of information. Also, there may be health issues associated with implanting RFID chips.
