Martijn Wismeijer, also known as Mr. Bitcoin, is taking Bitcoin to a whole new level by keeping it safe inside two NTAG216 NFC tags implanted underneath his skin.

You read that right, Mr. Bitcoin has two NFC chips, made out of glass that can hold up to 888 bites of programmable memory or about 26 condensed bitcoin private keys, embedded under the skin of both his hands. Your first question, I’m sure will be “WHY???”

First off, doing keeps your Bitcoins and other digital currencies offline, which in the digital world is the best way to keep anything secured. Second, if anyone wants to steal the chips, it will b, but it may be a bit tricky when the chips are holding various types of cryptocurrencye pretty hard to do so without cutting his hands off!

Also, Mr. Bitcoin sees huge potential in these tags as they can serve various purposes besides just storing digital currency. Because it uses an NFC chip, it can be used for contactless payment in stores – just wave your hand over the machine for the transaction to go through. The chips can also be paired with a smartphone so the user can select which digital currency to use.

“I did it because I wanted to experiment with strong bitcoins using subdermal implants because that’s what I thought would be the Holy Grail of contactless payments,” Mr. Bitcoin said in an interview.

At the moment, Mr. Bitcoin uses the chips as his morning alarm. He needs to scan either one of the implants to turn off the alarm which takes a few steps to accomplish – meaning there’s no chance for him to hit the snooze button and sleep in longer.

He’s looking into getting a special door lock fitted in his home that will allow him keyless entry. He just wants to be able to touch his palm on the door frame to unlock the door.

If you’re interested in getting a chip implanted under your skin, Mr. Bitcoin doesn’t recommend performing the procedure yourself. Unfortunately, most doctors will likely refuse to perform the procedure, and so your best bet is a body manipulation artist that follows strict hygiene codes. Also, one chip may not be enough, especially if you want to store various types of digital currency or use the chips for other purposes, so it may be wise to have to two chips implanted.

“I thought that if the storage is limited then there’s no point in just getting one if I could have two, because with one I could store private information like cryptocurrency or two-factor authentication for passwords, while the other one I could use for public things like my emergency contacts or my business card,” Mr. Bitcoin explained.

photo credit: btckeychain via photopin cc