Those currently trading and following cryptocurrencies can arguably be called early adopters – but some are taking this further than others. A recent CoinDesk article delves deeply into one of the more extreme trends – getting microchip implants that can be programmed to act as a cryptocurrency wallet.



Body hacking is not a new phenomenon



Those who are interested in the prospects of this type of “body hacking” can watch this video, to follow CoinDesk editor Bailey Reutzel as she receives an RFID chip implant, in order to be able to use her hand as a Bitcoin wallet.



However, this is perhaps not as cutting-edge a technology as one might first believe. In fact, Martijn Wismeijer – colloquially called Mr. Bitcoin – received a microchip implant as far back as 2014.





Moreover, this trend extends far beyond the cryptocurrency community, and those pushing for technological implants are part of the so-called transhumanist movement.



Spectacularly, these people are effectively seeking to augment themselves with implants – technically making them real-life cyborgs, albeit a far cry from the cyborgs imagined in sci-fi.



This technology can be used for anything from implanting NFC keys, in order to give the bearer the ability to, e.g., unlock NFC-enabled doors, machines or devices with the wave of a hand, to the aforementioned alternative of implanting a cryptocurrency wallet inside of the bearer.



What cryptocurrency advantages could body hacking yield?

Having easy access to one’s cryptocurrency through a wallet that is literally a part of you makes some sense – at least on paper. As it stands however , high-technological implants such as this are likely too spectacular to reach mainstream adoption.



However, that is not necessarily the goal – at least not yet. Although the practical use of this type of biological implants is still arguably mainly trivial, cryptocurrency proponents are known to be early adopters of various technologies.



For example, the well-known Bitcoin pioneer Hal Finney famously choose to have his body cryogenically frozen in an attempt to potentially be revived in the coming decades or centuries, as to “see the future” – a technology that’s even more spectacular than technology implants.



As far as bodily implants are concerned, adoption cannot currently be expected to give significant use value – however, the underlying technology does show great promise, and every technology needs early adopters in order to fuel its continued development.



This is likely a fact cryptocurrency aficionados are more familiar with than most. Consequently, it is not inconceivable that cryptocurrency supporters could play a part in the adoption of bodily implants.



