If you believed the concept of medically-injectable
microchips were something out of a science fiction novel, guess again. A cohort
of scientists from universities the world over has developed a raw case of
implantable microchip capable of performing various pre-programmed functions
inside the body for a certain point of time, and later breaking up into
oblivion.
Published in the journal Science, a new study of the technology explains how "transient electronics" are the exact opposite of traditional electronics, which are designed with stability and long-term durability in mind. Dissolvable electronics, on the other hand, are specifically projected to run off once they have reached their respective tasks, or at least this is what we are being differentiated.
"A noteworthy characteristic of modern silicon electronics is its power to remain physically invariant, almost indefinitely for practical purposes," reads the study abstract. "Although this characteristic is a authentication of applications of integrated circuits that exist today, there might be opportunities for systems that propose the opposite behavior, such as implantable devices that function for medically useful time frames but then completely disappear via re-absorption by the body."
One case of this might be implantable chips designed to target open wounds with high temperature in order to prevent infection, particularly during patients' time at hospitals, says a BBC piece on the topic. Some other use might possibly be triggering an immune reaction that targets a potentially deadly infection, considering as how conventional medicine has mostly rejected the much more effective holistic and nutrition-based approaches to preventing and treating disease.
According to reports, test chips have already been created that are composed of a combination of silicon and magnesium oxide, and coated with a protective layer of silk produced by extracting silk from silkworms, dissolving it, and reforming it into a crystallized coating. Depending on the intended lifetime of a particular chip, the heaviness of the silk might be extremely thin to last for only a few hours, or slightly thicker to last for days or even weeks.
Published in the journal Science, a new study of the technology explains how "transient electronics" are the exact opposite of traditional electronics, which are designed with stability and long-term durability in mind. Dissolvable electronics, on the other hand, are specifically projected to run off once they have reached their respective tasks, or at least this is what we are being differentiated.
"A noteworthy characteristic of modern silicon electronics is its power to remain physically invariant, almost indefinitely for practical purposes," reads the study abstract. "Although this characteristic is a authentication of applications of integrated circuits that exist today, there might be opportunities for systems that propose the opposite behavior, such as implantable devices that function for medically useful time frames but then completely disappear via re-absorption by the body."
One case of this might be implantable chips designed to target open wounds with high temperature in order to prevent infection, particularly during patients' time at hospitals, says a BBC piece on the topic. Some other use might possibly be triggering an immune reaction that targets a potentially deadly infection, considering as how conventional medicine has mostly rejected the much more effective holistic and nutrition-based approaches to preventing and treating disease.
According to reports, test chips have already been created that are composed of a combination of silicon and magnesium oxide, and coated with a protective layer of silk produced by extracting silk from silkworms, dissolving it, and reforming it into a crystallized coating. Depending on the intended lifetime of a particular chip, the heaviness of the silk might be extremely thin to last for only a few hours, or slightly thicker to last for days or even weeks.
Are dissolvable 'medical' microchips a prelude to
implantable tracking devics?
As fascinating as this new research
might be to some who believe that such technology will only be used for benign
purposes such as in medicine, the momentum of this type of science seems to be
moving ever closer towards permanent implantable tracking microchips. Earlier
in the year, for instance, researchers in the U.K. were already testing
pharmaceutical drugs equipped with "edible microchips" that track
whether or not patients are taking their medications.
And last summer, research involving "electronic tattoos," or flexible microchip sensors that can be attached to or embedded under patients' skin, was revealed as a supposed "advanced" approach to future medical treatments. A CBS News report from back in January explains how researchers are already testing these chips in heart and brain patients, as the devices could theoretically help prevent heart attacks or brain seizures, we are told. Where this all seems to be heading, of course, is in uncharted, Big Brother tracking territory, where human beings are literally controlled by microchips connected remotely to a centralized server that instructs them on how to behave inside the body. While stories about the technology may appear relatively good-natured at the present time, there is clearly a push for such microchips to become not only normative in modern social club, but also a permanent aspect of the human torso.
The question remains; however, whether or not the public Will openly embrace such technology, or recognize it as the Big Brother Trojan Horse that it truly is, and thus reject it.
And last summer, research involving "electronic tattoos," or flexible microchip sensors that can be attached to or embedded under patients' skin, was revealed as a supposed "advanced" approach to future medical treatments. A CBS News report from back in January explains how researchers are already testing these chips in heart and brain patients, as the devices could theoretically help prevent heart attacks or brain seizures, we are told. Where this all seems to be heading, of course, is in uncharted, Big Brother tracking territory, where human beings are literally controlled by microchips connected remotely to a centralized server that instructs them on how to behave inside the body. While stories about the technology may appear relatively good-natured at the present time, there is clearly a push for such microchips to become not only normative in modern social club, but also a permanent aspect of the human torso.
The question remains; however, whether or not the public Will openly embrace such technology, or recognize it as the Big Brother Trojan Horse that it truly is, and thus reject it.
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