The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag was an xM1 chipset encased in a 2x12 mm cylindrical biocompatible glass housing. Super small — about the size of a grain of rice — injected subcutaneously.

The entire process took less than 3 minutes and looked pretty simple, so when I was offered the chance to do the same, I agreed.

The pain was minimal, a 3 out of 10, and left a small puncture wound, and a bit of soreness that kept me from shaking hands for 24 hours.

So, again, why do this?

In the near term, implanted devices like the xM1 RFID will enable seamless interaction with the Internet of Everything (IoT) around us. Unlock doors with a wave of your hand, start your car, or perhaps pay for a coffee with bitcoin stored in memory.

But honestly, for me it’s much more of an experiment.

In all honesty, I think biohacking, the cyborg human, is an eventuality that will materialize when the value proposition gets high enough.

In his excellent recently published novel Spark, author John Twelve Hawks refers to a Freedom ID:

About a third of the people in Manhattan have replaced their Freedom Card with a radio-frequency chip about the size of a vitamin pill. The chip is usually inserted beneath the skin on the back of the hand, and the procedure leaves a distinctive scar... The chip is detected whenever you take the subway, enter a department story, or walk into a government building...

Also, sf author Neal Stephenson referred to an implanted credit card in his 1995 novel The Diamond Age.

SF fans may recall that Dr. Diamandis was given a Heinlein Prize in 2006; Diamandis has stated that he has been inspired by Heinlein's science fiction works.

I've written a number of articles on the implantation of RFID tags over the years:

• RFID Tags Proposed To Halt Blackmarket Cadaver Trade
  The law of supply and demand has induced some people involved in legitimate medical research on bodies willed to science to seek illegitimate profit.
• Baja Beach Club Implants VeriChip In Customers
  The Baja Beach Club in Barcelona, Spain is the first business to use the VeriChip System to grant customers access to VIP areas and provide an easy payment option.
• VeriMed Implanted RFID Dogtags Studied By Military
  The VeriMed chip will have an encrypted 16-digit identification number.
• VeriChip Chairman Proposes RFID Chips For Immigrants
  "We have talked to many people in Washington about using it...."
• Microchips To Be Implanted In UK Convicts
  We have wanted to take advantage of this technology for several years...