The Age, 31 March 2019
More than a hundred Canberrans have implantable microchips
Prof Frank Vetere comments on implantable microchips.
The human body has emerged as a platform for devices—both for wearable wellbeing devices, and implantable medical devices (IMDs). IMDs include pacemakers, cochlear implants, deep brain stimulation for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease, dental implants, orthodontics and implantable contraceptive to name only a few. Technological size and cost reductions, along with power and battery improvements, has seen items that were once strictly external become wearable, and even insertable.
Instead of placing a device on the body when needed, and taking it off again when no longer required, it is now possible to augment the body in a semi-permanent way with an insertable device. This augmentation is typically not visible to others and is comparable to those who insert contact lenses rather than wearing glasses. In recent years, we have seen the emergence of non-life-threatening health products becoming insertable, such as female intrauterine devices (IUD) and sub-dermal contraceptive implants. As individuals become more comfortable with devices inside the body, as well as body modifications, we are beginning to see voluntary use of insertable devices outside of the health sphere.
We define insertables as objects that go in, through, or underneath the skin. Our choice of the word ‘insertable’, over ‘implantable’, for these devices is deliberate. Implantable is used in the medical context to refer to an object fixed inside a person’s body by surgery. Therefore, implantables are more difficult, if not impossible, to remove while insertables can be inserted and removed with minimal invasiveness. An implant is often something done to a person out of need, whereas an insertable implies a strong sense of personal agency and choice. Insertables are differentiated by their voluntary and non-medical nature.
The arena of insertables has received little academic attention, particularly in the field of human-computer interaction (HCI). This project focuses on understanding the emerging field of insertable devices, looking as what devices people are putting into their bodies and why, classifying public opinions and propensity to insertables, and understanding how to design and develop for them. It will provide an understanding of the current state of insertables, and compare and contrast their design and development to implantable devices to identify why insertables are different. This knowledge will inform future use and design and position insertables as a device mode of choice for users and a legitimate category for hardware manufactures, HCI researchers and interaction designers alike.
This project was funded by the University of Melbourne’s Microsoft Research Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces (SocialNUI).
Heffernan, KJ., Vetere, F. & Chang, S. (2017) Towards insertables: Devices inside the human body First Monday 22(3). [DOI]
Heffernan, KJ., Vetere, F. & Chang, S. (2017) Military Insertables: Lessons from Civilian Use IEEE Technology and Society Magazine 36(1):58–61. [DOI]
Heffernan, K. J., Vetere, F., Britton, L. M., Semaan, B. & Schiphorst, T. (2016) Insertable Digital Devices: Voluntarily Under the Skin In Proceedings of the 2016 ACM Conference Companion Publication on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS 2016 Companion), New York, ACM Press, pp. 85–88 [DOI]
Heffernan, K. J., Vetere, F. & Chang, S. (2016) You Put What, Where?: Hobbyist Use of Insertable Devices In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2016), New York: ACM Press, pp. 1798–1809 [DOI]
Heffernan, K. J., Vetere, F. & Chang, S. (2015) Insertables: I’ve got it under my skin. In ACM Interactions Magazine January + February 2016, vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 52–56, Dec 2015 [Link] [DOI]
The Age, 31 March 2019
Prof Frank Vetere comments on implantable microchips.
Sparky Thoughts, 17 October 2018
Kayla Heffernan (PhD student) in an interview for a mini-documentary series on cyborgs and society.
The Atlantic, 21 September 2018
An article featuring Kayla Heffernan.
ABC, The Signal, 28 August 2018
A podcast featuring an interview with Kayla Heffernan.
ABC News, 28 August 2018
Swedish biohacker says bio-implants movement growing globally
SBS News, 16 August 2018
Part of a series of SBS News stories marking National Science Week (11–19 August).
news.com.au, March 2018
Kayla Heffernan doesn’t need to carry keys or tickets. She taps on and off public transport without using a card. It’s all because of two chips embedded inside her.
Sunrise, Channel 7, March 2018
Computer Science PhD student Kayla Heffernan joins Sunrise.
Pursuit, 27 December 2017
Sky Business, 7 November 2017
Video not available.
Entrepreneur Network, 5 November 2017
3AW Radio, 3 November 2017
Audio not available.
The Guardian, 1 November 2017
ABC Drive Wednesday, 1 November 2017
Audio not available.
The Daily New, November 2017
If you thought having movie tickets emailed to your smartphone was the pinnacle of modern technology, think again.
DML News, November 2017
Researchers in Australia have developed a prototype for an insertable microchip, designed to be implanted into one’s skin around their pointer finger and thumb and used to electronically unlock doors.
Craving Tech, November 2017
NFC (Near-Field Communication) technology is not new. You can now use your phone to pay just by tapping or having it next to a contactless payment system.
Herald Sun
The Next Web , November 2017
Human microchipping has always been a pursuit reserved for those crazy guinea pig types excited for the dystopian future everyone else is dreading.
Smart Company, November 2017
What does a business card, an access card, or your house keys all have in common?
TruNews, November 2017
The effort to mainstream the practice of “chipping”—inserting a radio frequency identification, or RFID, chip under the skin of one’s hand—continued this week with a new report from The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom.
Café Europe, November 2017
Eine australische Forscherin hält Mikrochips für eine der Zukunftstechnologien.
Sunrise, Channel 7, November 2017
10 volunteers have had a microchips inserted for a research project.
ABC Radio, 1 July 2017
Interview on ABC 774 Melbourne. Audio not available.
ABC TV, 3 August 2017
Journalist Amal Awad, Simon Cowan from The Centre for Independent Studies, managing consultant Avril Henry, and Professor Ian Hickie from the University of Sydney discuss ‘ordinary’ Australians, building resilience in adults and would you let your workplace microchip you?
The Australian, 3 August 2017
SocialNUI PhD candidate Kayla Heffernan is featured in an article in The Australian that explores body implants in employees.
ABC Radio, 1 August 2017
From ABC radio in Hobart.
Pursuit, 6 April 2017
As headlines proclaim that microchips injected under the skin could allow employers to track our every move, the reality is very different.
ABC Radio National, 2 October 2016
On Future Tense presented by Antony Funnell: It’s the technology that’s deliberately designed to get under your skin. Human micro-chipping is growing in popularity. At the Swedish innovation hub, Epicenter, more than 80 employees using the facility have had a small RFID chip inserted into the bodies. We’ll find out why and whether the psychological barriers to human micro-chipping will inevitably limit the technology’s take-up.
The Australian, 30 August 2016
I’m convinced that as implanted memory technology matures there will be no shortage of humans becoming cyborgs. Last week I met a group who already have augmented their human capabilities with implants injected under the skin. And they’re willing to go further.
UXPod, 14 July 2016
Machine I: An Interview with Kayla Heffernan via UXPod website.
102.7 RRR FM, 4 May 2016
774 ABC Melbourne, 16 Feb 2016
891 ABC Adelaide, 16 Feb 2016
94.7 The Pulse, 15 Feb 2016
Pursuit, 15 February 2016
Insertable technology could launch a new type of human
The Melbourne Newsroom, 15 February 2016
National Nine News (Channel 9/WIN), 27 July 2015