VeriChip is a subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions Inc, which in December 2004 received formal approval from the FDA for permission to market its under-the-skin RFID devices in medical applications.
Since then it has bolstered its healthcare capabilities with the acquisition of Instantel and its healthcare division, Xmark. That company specializes in infant protection, wander prevention, and asset tracking solutions based on separate, non-implantable RFID technology. These are usually tamper-proof and secured around a wrist or ankle.
About the size of a pen point, the injectable VeriChip system is being touted as the world’s first subdermal microchip designed for human use in security, financial, emergency identification, and healthcare applications.
Each VeriChip, which can be inserted in just a few minutes in the arm, contains a unique verification number that can be captured using a scanner over the VeriChip. The chip has a special polyethylene sheath that helps skin bond to it so it stays in place. It has no battery, and is said to have an expected lifespan up to 20 years.
The VeriChip product started with the idea of an electronic dogtags for military and emergency services personnel. It has been suggested that eventually VeriChip could replace credit cards and other forms of identification cards with the advantage that, unlike their plastic equivalents, they are almost impossible to lose. But for the near term, the company is promoting VeriChip as a means of identification in a variety of applications including buildings access, military, and government security.
It works in tandem with the VeriGuard system, which, for instance, authenticates people authorized to enter a given building or facility to automatically unlock a secure doorway if the person has authorized access.
The system being announced today will detect both external wearable tags, such as those used with the Xmark technology, as well with as the implantable VeriChip RFID tags.
