MC9090-G RFID Handheld Mobile Computer
Motorola's MC9090-G RFID handheld reader gives your workers the ability to capture a comprehensive range of data — from RFID tags and bar codes to images — with this flexible multi-function RFID handheld reader, which reads data in remote areas where fixed RFID readers can't reach.
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VeriChip and its parent company Applied Digital have been developing implantable RFID chips for the past 15 years, primarily to tag livestock and pets.
The company began marketing its technology for humans after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA; Rockville, MD) approved its VeriMed™ RFID system as a medical device in 2004.
About 200 people in the USA now carry the chip, which contains a 16-digit identifier linked to their individual medical record in a central database. According to Kevin McLaughlin, President of VeriChip, “We are in our first roll-out phase here in the USA.
We will get to Europe eventually, probably within three years.”
The chips, which measure 12 mm by 2.1 mm, are treated with a chemical before implantation to discourage their migration within the body.
The procedure costs US$200–400 and recipients must pay an annual fee to maintain their records on VeriChip's password-protected online database.
According to McLaughlin, the company charges US$20 a year for a basic record, and US$80 a year for a complete personal health record. “What [VeriChip is] offering now is a patient health record that could save somebody's life in an emergency situation,” McLaughlin said.
“There are 45 million at-risk patients in the US today. These are people with diabetes, cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cognitive impairments, seizure disorders and Alzheimer's, and people with complex medical device implants, such as pacemakers, stents, joint replacements and organ transplants.
There are just so many in the group that could wind up in an emergency room, unconscious and unable to communicate for themselves.”
McLaughlin added that the chips could serve various purposes, such as linking to credit cards or controlling access, as does his own implant through his office door.
After Hurricane Katrina, a Mississippi coroner tagged 300 corpses with donated microchips to help with the identification process. VeriChip has also been in talks with the US Department of Defense about using its chips to replace soldiers' dog tags, and has recommended tagging guest workers as part of an effort to resolve the USA's illegal immigrant problem.
[edit on 31-3-2009 by wonderworld]
