How Could I Detect the Presence of a Passive RFID Chip Implant Within a Human Body? (2024)

FAQs

How Could I Detect the Presence of a Passive RFID Chip Implant Within a Human Body? ›

The best way to check for an implant would be to have an X-ray performed. RFID transponders have metal antennas that would show up in an X-ray. You could also look for a scar on the skin.

If an implanted chip uses RFID technology, a chip reader would reveal its presence, just like in dogs and cats and livestock.

An RFID chip is considered a foreign body, currently most often introduced by nonmedical professionals, such as tattoo artists. This raises questions about the sterility of such procedures. Similar to other medical devices, the implantation of an RFID chip carries the risk of a foreign body related–infection.

It involves implanting microscopic integrated circuits under the human skin, commonly the gap between the thumb and forefinger. These chips can serve a range of purposes, including identification, contactless payments, and more. It's an area still in its embryonic stages.

The best way to check for an implant would be to have an X-ray performed. RFID transponders have metal antennas that would show up in an X-ray. You could also look for a scar on the skin. Because the needle used to inject the transponder under the skin would be quite large, it would leave a small but noticeable scar.

RFID Tag Finder on the App Store.

Universal scanners, also called forward- and backward-reading scanners, detect all microchip frequencies. The main advantage of universal scanners is the improved chance of detecting and reading a microchip, regardless of the frequency.

MRI won't show it as clearly because metal causes fairly substantial interference with the image - basically instead of seeing a white metal chip, we see a black spot like someone burned a hole in it with a cigarette - so we definitely can tell there is metal there, but would use an x-ray to work out what it is.

Most of the time, you can feel the microchip just underneath the dog's skin. It's especially prominent in dogs with thin skin or poor body condition (underweight). A dog microchip is about the size of a grain of rice, hard, and can often be rolled or moved somewhat between the fingers.

Are RFID chips traceable? ›

Can RFID tags be tracked? Yes, RFID tags can be tracked. They can be tracked automatically using active RFID tags or manually using passive RFID tags. To be tracked RFID tags provide data related to where they have been and where they currently are.

The microchip is around one centimeter in size, meaning that you can easily have it under your skin without noticing it.

Specifically, it's a glass-encased RFID/NFC chip. I barely notice it, honestly. While you can feel the chip if you know where to poke, it's not visible once it's inside your hand.

How to Find a Chip. You'll need a universal or global scanner with the ability to detect various frequencies and batteries (check to make sure they're fresh).

Some other risks include electrical hazards, adverse tissue reactions, infections and incompatibility with medical equipment such as MRIs machines. During an MRI scan, patients cannot take anything metal, including microchips.

Today, over 50,000 people worldwide have a microchip within their bodies, and this number has been increasing rapidly. In the past decade, human microchipping has become increasingly accessible to the average person (Credit: Government Technology).

Distance and location: When reading the tag, make sure there is no interference from metal objects between the phone and the tag, and stay within an effective distance. Through these steps, you can use the NFC function of your phone to scan and read compatible RFID tags for convenient data management and application.

Tips for scanning RFID tags

Point the device in the direction of the RFID tag that you want to scan, and scan the tag. If more than one RFID tag is scanned, the Scan Results screen will be displayed, where you can select the checkpoint for which you want to record readings.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology uses radio waves to identify people or objects. There is a device that reads information contained in a wireless device or “tag” from a distance without making any physical contact or requiring a line of sight.

Place In Wallet: Put the foil-wrapped card in your wallet. Test At A Pay Point Or With Your Phone: Try using the card at a contactless pay point or with an NFC-enabled smartphone. If the card is unreadable through the wallet, it indicates that the wallet's material is effectively blocking RFID signals.