10Meters News Service

February 13, 2002 – Andy Rooney, the curmudgeonly commentator on TV's "60 Minutes" news magazine, has been challenged to "chip" his words.

Rooney quipped during his segment on the February 10 show that he would be willing to have a chip implanted under his skin, if that would help speed up and assure security at airports.

"We need some system for permanently identifying safe people. Most of us are never going to blow anything up and there's got to be something better than one of these photo Ids," Rooney said. "I wouldn't mind having something planted permanently in my arm that would identify me."

Applied Digital Solutions, of Palm Beach, Fla., lost no time in responding. On Monday, the advanced technology firm invited Rooney to join a select group of people to "get chipped" – as in being implanted with its identification system, the VeriChip microchip.

VeriChip vs. a Dime

Launched as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Applied Digital Solutions on February 8, VeriChip produces a miniaturized, implantable identification device aimed at medical, security and emergency applications.

The chip, approximately the size of the point of a typical ballpoint pen, is embedded with a unique identification number and other critical data. Requiring only local anesthesia and a tiny incision, it can be inserted in an outpatient setting. No sutures are necessary.

The data on the chip is activated by an external scanner. It then utilizes radio frequencies to transmit the information for display on the scanner. Data can also be transmitted via the telephone or the Internet to an FDA-compliant data-storage site.

As far as Rooney's chip-quip, he's not the only one curious about the idea of implants.

A family in Boca Raton, Florida, has contacted Applied Digital Solutions to volunteer as chip "guinea pigs." Driving the family effort is Derek Jacobs, a 14 year old, who said he is fascinated by the idea of technology that links humans with machines.

Applied Digital Solutions CTO Keith Bolton told Wired News that more than 2,000 kids have emailed the company to be added to the implant list. "They think it's cool," Bolton said.

The only catch, for the kids or for Rooney, if he chooses to accept the challenge: the company is in the process of getting FDA approval to "chip" people.