VeriChip Corporation

Miniaturized, Implantable Identification Technology
With Emergency, Healthcare and Security Applications

Photographer: Greg Whitesell

Medical Device Identification

Hundreds of thousands of medical devices are surgically implanted into patients every year. Examples of these life-saving and life-enhancing devices include pacemakers, artificial joints, orthopedic hardware, heart valves, and medication pumps. After insertion, these devices often require adjustment, repair, replacement, or even recall. A tiny VeriChip, inserted subdermally, stores a verification number. That verification number can be retrieved with a small, handheld VeriChip scanner to access remote databases with information about implants, the person's health history and other relevant information. The database provides people, medical providers and manufacturers with a rapid, secure and non-invasive method of obtaining medical and medical device information. Future applications may include full medical record archival/retrieval for emergency medical care.

Emergency or Security-related Identification

Personal identity verification technology has gained considerable interest recently. A great deal of focus has been trained on so-called "biometric" technologies which identify individuals by their unique biological or physical characteristics, such as fingerprints, voiceprints, retina characteristics, and face recognition points. VeriChip, by contrast, relies on imbedded, tamper-proof, microchip technology, which allows for non-invasive access to a verification number. That number can be used to access identification, medical and other critical data. Use of advanced VeriChip technology means that the threat of theft, loss, duplication or counterfeiting of data is substantially diminished or eliminated. Specific application areas include: enhancement of present forms of identification, various law enforcement and defense uses and search and rescue.

How VeriChip Works

An implantable, 12mm by 2.1mm radio frequency device, VeriChip is about the size of the point of a typical ballpoint pen. It contains a unique verification number. Utilizing an external scanner, radio frequency energy passes through the skin energizing the dormant VeriChip, which then emits a radio frequency signal containing the verification number. The number is displayed by the scanner and transmitted to an FDA compliant secure data storage site by authorized personnel via telephone or Internet.

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