#WeirdTech: Tesla owner implants NFC-based car keys in his hand
A Tesla owner found an interesting solution to end his struggle of finding car keys by implanting them in his hand. Extreme? For some, maybe. But not for Brandon Dalaly. He shared a video of the chip getting installed in his hand and later using it to unlock the car with ease. He paid $400 (around Rs. 31,900) for the procedure.
Watch how Dalaly unlocks his Tesla with a chip
The chip inside Dalaly's hand is called Vivokey Apex Flex
The chip implanted in Dalaly's hand is called Vivokey Apex. It uses NFC technology to interact with the car. Vivokey Apex runs small software programs called Java Card applets. You can wirelessly install apps into the chip and then use them. The version of Vivokey in Dalaly's hand is called Apex Flex. He is part of the beta group that is testing the chip.
The keycard can unlock the vehicle with a quick tap
The applet used for unlocking Tesla is called 'Not A (Tesla®) Keycard,' which can be paired with Tesla Model 3 at the moment. In the video, Dalaly had to rub against the car for it to unlock. He said that the video was filmed "three days after implantation and there was still swelling." "Now it reads with a quick tap," he added.
Chip can also be used to start the car
The chip installed in Dalaly's hand can also be used to start the car. "Now I use that as my key when my Bluetooth key fails or I don't have my key card," he told Teslarati.
Dalaly has another smaller chip in his left hand
This is not the first time Dalaly has installed a chip in his hand. He told Teslarati that he already has a small chip in his left hand that stores keys to his COVID-19 vaccination card, his house, and his contact card. He also said that implanting the larger Tesla keycard on his right hand was harder than the one on his left.
Dalaly termed criticism of chip implantation 'conspiracy theories'
Reacting to his online critics, Dalaly said, "There's been a lot of pushback." He called most of the criticism surrounding implanting chips conspiracy theories. He also talked about "religious people" calling the mark on his hand "the mark of the beast." He said, "I just don't want to have to worry about forgetting my car keys. I'm not over here worshiping Satan."
