Augmented reality didn’t have a leg to stand on before Pokémon Go. But now that the mobile game has exploded beyond conceivable expectations, the medium has taken off in the market with everything from shopping websites to car showrooms. Unfortunately, other tech categories have not been so lucky, leaving them to fend for themselves in markets that are lukewarm on their innovations. Human implant technology is one of those categories.
For a little under a decade, entrepreneurs and startup founders have recognized the value of human implant technology. From a house key implanted in your wrist to a GPS trackers in your ankle, the practical uses are more than obvious — they’re a necessity for the future of harmonious living. The simplicity of the tech, combined with the endless uses, makes the need for a “killer app” that much more pressing, particularly with iris scanners and fingerprint readers being so expensive and temperamental.
Yes, it does sound a bit creepy. When new tech arises, there are always naysayers complaining that the added innovation will only serve “the man’s desire to constantly surveil us.” And while this may be true, your smartphone, your laptop, and even your gaming console are contributing to this Orwellian conspiracy theory. Drawing a line in the sand at human implant technology seems silly when we’re already more connected than any generation before us by a long shot.
So what is the killer app that will make human implant technology popular enough to make it in the mainstream? Long time biohacker Amal Graafstra thinks that house keys won’t be enough to propel the tech into the general population.
“It’s not going to be getting in your house, because there are so many locks and keys,” he said to Mashable. “The ‘killer app’ for me is payment and transit. If you can get rid of the keys and wallet with one device, then I think that’s it.”
That’s the key. The elimination of arduous, unnecessary products holding you down. Other than their intended purpose, wallets and keys just get in the way of a stylish pant-line. And if you’re a human implant startup founder and you want to find a way to make it big, eliminating these two personal burdens will be your first step. Well, that and making sure implants don’t hurt. That’s a big one too.
Photo: Flickr / Niki