Free Republic

They're here. They have FDA approval. But are Americans ready to get chipped? Getting chipped means having a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip implanted in your body. The chip -- about the size of a large grain of rice -- lies dormant until a special scanner is passed within 6 inches of the implant. Then it emits a radio signal that beams a 16-digit number to the scanner. For security uses, that 16-digit number acts like an electronic key. For medical uses, the number is linked to medical records. Doctors to whom you've granted access -- emergency room doctors, for...

Applied Digital Solutions, maker of implantable identification chips for humans, is ramping up a new media blitz with the "chipping" of a reporter and unveiling yesterday in London of a new temperature-sensing microchip. Meanwhile, a June deadline looms for the financially troubled company to pay off a $30 million IBM loan. Applied Digital Solutions (NASDAQ: ADSX) of West Palm Beach, Fla., maker of the implantable VeriChip, coined the term "getting chipped" as part of a marketing campaign that attracted worldwide coverage. It culminated last May when 8 individuals were chipped. The VeriChip is an injectable radio-frequency identification chip marketed for...