Taking advantage of the same technology used for contactless payments, a company based in Sweden has developed a microchip – placed under the skin in either the arm or hand – that can store information relating to an individual’s vaccination status. The firm’s Chief Distribution Officer praised the accessibility and convenience of the implant, as it removes the need to carry specific documents or digital QR codes. The Mail has more.
Epicentre, a Stockholm-based start-up, unveiled a new way of carrying around a Covid vaccine passport – in a microchip implanted under your skin.
The implant can be read by any device using the near-field communication (NFC) protocol – technology used for contactless payments and keyless entry systems.
In a video shared by Epicentre, Hannes Sjöblad, Chief Distribution Officer, has the chip in his arm and simply waves a smartphone over it to pull up his vaccination status.
“Implants are very versatile technology that can be used for many different things, and right now it is very convenient to have COVID passport always accessible on your implant,” he said in a statement…
Many venues, restaurants, bars, concert halls and museums, across the U.S. are requiring visitors present their vaccination status in order to enter the building.
Epicentre wants to make presenting this information as easy as possible.
“In case your phone runs out of battery, it’s always accessible to you. So of course, that’s how we use this technology today, next year we are going to use it for something else,” said Sjöblad.
The microchip sits directly beneath the skin, either in the arm or between the thumb and forefinger.
According to Sjöblad, the procedure is “completely reversible” and does not require a special phone app.
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