Bitcoin Forum

A Dutch entrepreneur has gone to extreme measures to keep his currency safe - embedding a digital wallet under his skin to store bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Martijn Wismeijer, founder of bitcoin ATM firm Mr Bitcoin, underwent a procedure to inject an NFC (near-field communication) chip into each hand between the muscle tissue and the skin tissue.

mr bitcoin embed NFC
Martijn Wismeijer beside a Mr Bitcoin ATM(Mr Bitcoin)
"I did it because I wanted to experiment with storing bitcoins using subdermal implants because that's what I thought would like be the Holy Grail of contactless payments," Wismeijer told IBTimes UK.

The chip is 2mm x 12mm and is made of glass and can store 888 bites of user programmable memory - the equivalent of around 800 characters, or around 26 bitcoin condensed private keys.

Although primarily used as a bitcoin wallet, Wismeijer has found that the chips can also be used for a variety of other applications.

"I found you can use them for lot's of different things, like even as an alarm snooze button. To switch off my alarm I need to scan either one or two of the implants, so this way it takes a little bit of fiddling so you never oversleep again," Wismeijer said.

"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"

Wismeijer described the pain of having the chip inserted as something akin to a body piercing. While he plans to sell the chips through Mr Bitcoin, Wismeijer recommends that customers to not attempt to install it themselves.

"They should go to a professional body manipulation artist otherwise it's going to be really messy and painful," he said. "It's not a DIY product really."

It would be awesome if a wallet app on phone can only send coins when he is holding the phone. When he is not in proximity, the app can't send coins without private keys!

He'll be the first person to die from crypto cancer. His ashes will be kept in a sealed BFL Jalapeño miner (at least that would make a Jalapeño useful).

hahaha so true! It will the first case of crypto cancer lol

sounds pretty disgusting imo. but its still almost for sure the future, i guess hes just an early adopter.

I guess it's innovative though. Where on the body does it get installed?

In his wife's nipple. When he needs cash he can just suck it out.

wow, he has the bitcoin feel deep within him

I see what you did there  :D

He may lose his wife and his money at the same time.  :D

That is tragic, I hadn't thought of that. I'm on my third wife. You can get another one but losing all your bitcoins, I couldn't take that!  ;)

If it can't DIY, what meaning is it?

Ironically, most people on here are afraid of the government installing a microchip inside of them so they can steal their wallet.

This guy beats the government to the punch and puts a microchip installed into himself so protect his wallet

Reminds me off the guy that had his car security linked to some bodypart. I think it was a handprint needed to start the car. In the end he was found dead at the side of a road without his hand. Apparently the robbers figured out they only need the hand and the rest was of no use to them.

Id rather give my wallet and walk away than have my hands chopped off.

Definitely not for long term cold storage. I'd still keep those in paper wallets.