Human ID implant to be unveiled soon
Pastor Dale Morgan
Human ID implant to be unveiled soon*
'Wearers' of Digital Angel®' monitored by GPS, Internet
By JoAnn Kohlbrand and Julie Foster
A working prototype of an implant designed to monitor the physiology and
whereabouts of human wearers, known as Digital Angel®, was unveiled in
October at an invitation-only event in New York City -- two months ahead
of schedule.
Developed by Applied Digital Solutions, the device is said to be the
first-ever operational combination of bio-sensor technology and
Web-enabled wireless telecommunications linked to global positioning
satellite location-tracking systems.
Applied Digital Solutions Chairman Richard Sullivan said the development
of the technology has progressed well ahead of schedule.
"We're extremely heartened by the remarkable progress made by Dr. Peter
Zhou and his entire research team, including professors and their
associates at Princeton University and the New Jersey Institute of
Technology," said Sullivan. "This technology relates directly to the
exploding wireless marketplace. We'll be demonstrating for the first
time ever that wireless telecommunications systems and bio-sensor
devices -- capable of measuring and transmitting critical body function
data -- can be successfully linked together with GPS (global positioning
satellite) technology and integrated with the Internet."
Digital Angel® is intended to serve a number of functions. In addition
to locating missing persons and monitoring physiological data, the
device will be marketed to the world of e-commerce as a means of
verifying online consumer identity.
Similar to microchip technologies currently used as electronic ID tags
for pets, Digital Angel® is a dime-sized implant, inserted just under
the skin. When implanted within a human body, the device is powered
electromechanically through the movement of muscles and can be activated
either by the "wearer" or by a monitoring facility.
Applied Digital Solutions is also exploring avenues for utilizing
Digital Angel® without implanting it.
"We are currently talking to a watch maker who is interested in placing
the device on the back of their watches," Sullivan said. "In addition,
technology is being developed that would allow Digital Angel® to
function from the back of a cellular phone, transmitting bio-sensor
information when carried by the user."
While estimates of Digital Angel®'s marketplace potential vary, Sullivan
and Applied Digital's partners believe they can enter the implant into a
multi-billion dollar market through various licensing arrangements,
Web-enabled wireless services and data transactions handled by Applied
Digital's Application Service Provider center.
Those attending the event in New York City will see a working,
multimedia demonstration of the implant. A miniature sensor device --
smaller than a grain of rice and equipped with a tiny antenna -- will
capture and wirelessly transmit a person's vital body-function data,
such as body temperature or pulse, to an Internet-integrated ground
station. In addition, the antenna will also receive information
regarding the location of the individual from the GPS satellite. Both
sets of data -- medical information and location -- will then be
wirelessly transmitted to the ground station and made available on
Web-enabled desktop, laptop or wireless devices.
According to Applied Digital, the demonstration will represent the first
time these technologies have been united into one functioning system.
The New York event -- at a time, date and location to be announced later
-- will feature live presentations from top Applied Digital executives,
including Sullivan and Dr. Peter Zhou, president and chief scientist at
DigitalAngel.net, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Applied Digital.
Attendees at the device's unveiling ceremony will include a handpicked
group of potential joint-venture partners, as well as senior-level
players in the e-commerce, wireless and Internet industries, and stock
analysts.
Zhou is passionately enthusiastic about the device.
"I'm particularly excited about Digital Angel®'s ability to save lives
by remotely monitoring the medical conditions of at-risk patients and
providing emergency rescue units with the person's exact location," he
said. "I also see great potential for Digital Angel® in the area of
'location-aware' e-commerce. This is a whole new wireless and
Web-enabled frontier in which a purchaser's actual location is integral
to making a successful sale or providing a valuable, location-critical
service."
In March, Zhou expressed his belief that the implant will be as popular
as cell phones and vaccines.
Digital Angel®, said Zhou, "will be a connection from yourself to the
electronic world. It will be your guardian, protector. It will bring
good things to you."
He added, "We will be a hybrid of electronic intelligence and our own soul."
Applied Digital Solutions first announced it had acquired the patent
rights to a miniature digital transceiver in December 1999. Naming the
device Digital Angel®, ADS formed DigitalAngel.net, Inc. to serve as the
research and development unit for the device. Since that time, ADS has
actively promoted the implant, pointing to what executives and
scientists say are lifestyle benefits of the chip.
"The first market we hope to tap into is a $10 billion agri-industry,"
said Sullivan. "The FDA is requiring improved tracking methods for beef
and poultry. The Digital Angel®, with its ability to monitor body
functions, can track quality from the [animal] pens to the supermarket."
The next large market ADS hopes to tap into is that of preventive
medical tracking. Through its body function tracking capabilities, the
Digital Angel® can monitor such functions as body temperature, heartbeat
and specific needs such as insulin levels. This information can then be
transmitted to a doctor or health-care provider.
"The Digital Angel® serves as an advance warning device, which can help
lower the cost of medical care," commented Sullivan.
However, despite the excitement over an early working model of this new
technology, concerns have been raised as to personal privacy. With the
integrated technology, a person's location, health status and other
personal data will be transmitted and available via the Internet.
ADS claims, however, that privacy concerns are misplaced, since the
device can be turned off by the owner.
Additional concerns have been raised by Christians, who contend Digital
Angel® could be the fulfillment of a biblical prediction found in the
book of Revelation.
Zhou, president of DigitalAngel.net, Inc., disagrees.
"I am a Christian, but I don't think [that argument] makes sense," he
said in March. "The purpose of the device is to save your life and
improve the quality of life. There's no connection to the Bible."
As the technology becomes more commonplace, the debate, as well as
sales, are likely to continue growing.
"We'll soon be ready to move ahead to the production-design phase of
Digital Angel® geared to specific marketplace applications," Sullivan
said. "The key message right now is this: Digital Angel® isn't a
blue-sky technology. This is real. Digital Angel® breakthrough
technology is here. It's live!"