Over the past few years, you may have heard whispers about the emerging trend referred to as “biohacking”. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, biohacking refers to the process of elevating one’s own body through technological modifications. This can include anything from simple DNA mutations, to the insertion of magnets, microchips, and even LEDs. That’s right, I said LEDs.
Now, obviously these are not the same LEDs available from Inspired LED, but they are, in fact, diodes which light up with magnetic contact. You may be asking yourself how? Why? What? Believe me, I was wondering much the same thing when I first came across this article on Motherboard.com. The story features members of Grindhouse Wetware, an innovative, open source biohacking collective based in Pittsburgh, PA. This team of engineers, programmers, and tech addicts have come together with a simple goal- finding ways to make the ultimate human upgrade. In the process of “hacking” into a better version of themselves, they have become truly devoted to blurring the line between human and cyborg. Check out this interview with the Grindhouse Team here.
Photo from Grindhouse Wetwares Facebook
Beyond just inserting objects into their bodies, Grindhouse Wetware has dedicated their time to building useful implants like the Circadia. The Circadia, which is currently implanted into co-founder Tim Cannon, gathers biomedical data, which is then transmitted to the internet via Bluetooth.
The team’s most recent implantation occurred last weekend in Sweden, where the North Star was implanted in both co-founders Tim Cannon, and Shawn Sarver. The North Star is a new unit which uses LEDs to illuminate in the shape of a star when it comes into close proximity of a magnet. The LEDs illuminate for 10 seconds, then enter a “sleep mode”, turning back off. The LEDs are expected to turn on and off 10,000 times before the battery runs out! This specific North Star implant only lights up, but much like the Circadia, the folks at Grindhouse are developing a new model which will contain both sub-dermal LEDs, and biomedical sensors.
Grindhouse Wetwares’ is working hard to mainstream these devices for future applications like controlling your cell phone with the mere movement of your hand, automating the communication of your implanted device to the IoT, and even communicating with future smart environments like your home or car!
Who knows, maybe one day you will be able to control our LED light systems using implanted bio-technology… but for now, we will stick to what we know best: affordable, energy-efficient LED lighting solutions.
For more information on Grindhouse Wetwares check out their website here. For more information on Inspired LED and our products, visit our website: www.inspiredled.com. Contact us with any questions at orders@inspiredled.com or give us a call at 480-941-4286.
Sources:
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/biohackers-are-implanting-led-lights-under-their-skin
