Some employees of a Wisconsin vending machine company will be able to purchase food with the wave of a hand. Three Square Market announced over the weekend that it plans to implant RFID (Radio Frequency ID) microchips into the hands of willing employees. The chips are as small as a grain of rice and would essentially replace key cards, credit cards, and phone apps.
Implanted between the thumb and forefinger, the microchips would be able to unlock doors, pay for break room snacks, serve as business cards, and store medical information. Three Square Market expects at least 50 employees to voluntarily undergo the $300 procedure, for which the company will pick up the tab. The implanting will begin as soon as Aug. 1.
Three Square Market specializes in corporate vending machines it calls "micro markets," though its parent company, TW Vending, distributes supplies to jails and prisons, Fast Company notes. TW Vending's stock includes machines similar to the microchip-activated ones Three Square Market offers. "Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc.," Todd Westby, the CEO of Three Square Market, wrote in a blog post. The company is claiming to be the first in the U.S. to implant these chips into employees.