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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Future Prospects Of Embedded Microchips In Humans As Unique Identifiers: The Risks Versus The Rewards, Katina Michael, M.G. Michael Dec 2012

The Future Prospects Of Embedded Microchips In Humans As Unique Identifiers: The Risks Versus The Rewards, Katina Michael, M.G. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Microchip implants for humans are not new. Placing heart pacemakers in humans for prosthesis is now considered a straightforward procedure. In more recent times we have begun to use brain pacemakers for therapeutic purposes to combat illnesses such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, and severe depression. Microchips are even being placed inside prosthetic knees and hips during restorative procedures to help in the gathering of post-operative analytics that can aid rehabilitation further. While medical innovations that utilise microchips abound, over the last decade we have begun to see the potential use of microchip implants for non-medical devices in humans, namely for …


Heaven And Hell: Visions For Pervasive Adaptation, Ben Paechter, Jeremy Pitt, Nikola Serbedzijac, Katina Michael, Jennifer Willies, Ingi Helgason Jun 2011

Heaven And Hell: Visions For Pervasive Adaptation, Ben Paechter, Jeremy Pitt, Nikola Serbedzijac, Katina Michael, Jennifer Willies, Ingi Helgason

Professor Katina Michael

With everyday objects becoming increasingly smart and the “info-sphere” being enriched with nanosensors and networked to computationally-enabled devices and services, the way we interact with our environment has changed significantly, and will continue to change rapidly in the next few years. Being user-centric, novel systems will tune their behaviour to individuals, taking into account users’ personal characteristics and preferences. But having a pervasive adaptive environment that understands and supports us “behaving naturally” with all its tempting charm and usability, may also bring latent risks, as we seamlessly give up our privacy (and also personal control) to a pervasive world of …


The Social Implications Of Humancentric Chip Implants: A Scenario - ‘Thy Chipdom Come, Thy Will Be Done’, Rodney Ip, Katina Michael, M G. Michael May 2008

The Social Implications Of Humancentric Chip Implants: A Scenario - ‘Thy Chipdom Come, Thy Will Be Done’, Rodney Ip, Katina Michael, M G. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Radio frequency identification (RFID) chip implants for humans are no longer the tales of science fiction. Already preliminary findings have shown that the number of people willing to get chipped has increased since the technology’s commercial arrival in 2002, despite the fact that adoption rates have been very low. This investigation presents three case studies of the main users/ innovators of humancentric chip implants. The first case is of a British researcher in an academic institution who has conducted several implant experiments; the second case, is of a hobbyist and entrepreneur who has focused on the use of RFID implants …


Lend Me Your Arms: The Use And Implications Of Humancentric Rfid, Amelia Masters, Katina Michael May 2008

Lend Me Your Arms: The Use And Implications Of Humancentric Rfid, Amelia Masters, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Recent developments in the area of RFID have seen the technology expand from its role in industrial and animal tagging applications, to being implantable in humans. With a gap in literature identified between current technological development and future humancentric possibility, little has been previously known about the nature of contemporary humancentric applications. By employing usability context analyses in control, convenience and care-related application areas, we begin to piece together a cohesive view of the current development state of humancentric RFID, as detached from predictive conjecture. This is supplemented by an understanding of the market-based, social and ethical concerns which plague …


Towards Chipification: The Multifunctional Body Art Of The Net Generation, Katina Michael, M G. Michael May 2008

Towards Chipification: The Multifunctional Body Art Of The Net Generation, Katina Michael, M G. Michael

Professor Katina Michael

This paper considers the trajectory of the microchip within the context of converging disciplines to predict the realm of likely possibilities in the shortterm future of the technology. After presenting the evolutionary development from first generation to fourth generation wearable computing, a case study on medical breakthroughs using implantable devices is presented. The findings of the paper suggest that before too long, implantable devices will become commonplace for everyday humancentric applications. The paradigm shift is exemplified in the use of microchips, from their original purpose in identifying humans and objects to its ultimate trajectory with multifunctional capabilities buried within the …


Microchip Implants For Humans As Unique Identifiers: A Case Study On Verichip, Katina Michael, M G. Michael, Rodney Ip May 2008

Microchip Implants For Humans As Unique Identifiers: A Case Study On Verichip, Katina Michael, M G. Michael, Rodney Ip

Professor Katina Michael

Microchip implants for humans are not new. The installation of pacemakers in humans and a great number of other medical innovations for prosthesis are now considered straightforward procedures. Today we have even realised the potential for microchip implants to be embedded inside the body of humans for the purpose of acting as unique lifetime identifiers (ULI). Tiny radiofrequency identification (RFID) devices are now being utilised to store a unique 16-digit identification number.


Location-Based Services: A Vehicle For It&T Convergence , Katina Michael May 2008

Location-Based Services: A Vehicle For It&T Convergence , Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Location-based services (LBS), more than any other mobile commerce application area has served to bring together information technology and telecommunications (IT&T) industries. While much has been written on the potential of LBS, literature on how it is a catalyst for digital convergence is scant. This paper identifies and explores the various levels of converging technologies in mobile commerce by using three LBS case studies. Through literal replication the findings indicate that IT&T technologies are converging at the infrastructure, appliance and application level. It is predicted that mCommerce applications will increasingly rely on industry convergence to achieve their desired outcomes.