Since its debut in November 2020, Pix has brought ease to users and a touch of innovation and revolution to the lives of Brazilians. From street vendors to designer stores, it is now possible to use this form of payment almost everywhere, allowing the replacement of cards, TED, DOC and bank slips, especially in financial operations carried out through cell phones.
But what if there was an even more practical method that allowed you to pay bills without even using your cell phone? What would you think?
Particularly, being passionate about technology and working with the area, I’m always reading, looking for news and also asking myself about them.
In 2021, the Anglo-Polish company Walletmor claimed to have become the first on the market to offer implantable payment chips for sale. With a device that weighs less than a gram, slightly larger than a grain of rice, and is made up of a microchip and an antenna wrapped in a biopolymer (a material similar to plastic, but of natural origin).
Although the microchip proposal is not something relatively new — the first time it was implanted in a human being was in 1998 —, it was only in the last decade that the technology became commercially available and started to be more talked about and used by ordinary people.
Chips that authorize contactless payments on smartphones can be used in bars, pharmacies, restaurants, supermarkets, etc. They use NFC technology (the same smartphone approach payment system), unlike other implants that are based on radio frequency identification (RFID).
For those who are curious and think about the possibility of inserting it, the company said that the chip is safe, had approved regulation and that it works immediately after being inserted. As for the values, they are being sold at US$ 229 (about R$ 1,140).
Despite being a method that can make our routine even easier, I still couldn’t decide if it’s something I would have in my body.
As much as it is not an invasive process in the physical sense, since it is inserted in the hand without the need for a surgical procedure, issues related to privacy and even the limit of how far to go with technology need to be debated at all times.
Of course, in many cases, using a microchip like this can be considered a tool to provide more quality of life, and not just something for convenience. As is the case with people with disabilities who can use the chips to open doors automatically.
According to a survey conducted last year of more than 4,000 people in the UK and European Union, 51% of respondents consider the idea of having this type of implant, unlike me.
And you, what do you think of this?
* Collaborated with Gabriela Bispo, planner and content writer at InfoPreta
