Would You Get Your Car Key Inserted Into Your Skin?

If you thought the vaccine for COVID-19 was polarizing and controversial, consider how many must feel about a car key inserted under the skin.

Its no secret that cars are becoming more advanced. Many automakers are now offering features that use either your smartphone or a card that replaces the keys of a vehicle. These items do the same job a key used to by opening and starting the vehicle, but phone apps are much more advanced. When you use your phone as a key, you have access to data you wouldn’t have otherwise. Of course, there’s still that chance of missing keys. How do we fix this problem?

Where Should the Key Be?

Have you ever heard your parents tell your that you “would lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on?” Most of us have heard some version of this saying from our parents or other authority figures. We lose things, that’s part of life. It can be extremely annoying to lose your keys because of what they represent. Typically, a set of keys includes one for your car, your home, and other locks that you use regularly. Losing a set of keys can mean changing locks and spending money to have a new set made.

What if the Car Key Was Part of You?

Before we continue, let’s put a disclaimer out there. In no way are we telling anyone to do what some people are doing with electronic keys. All we’re showing you is what some have done so far. Now that’s out of the way, what happens inf the car key is actually inserted in your skin. If the key is always part of you, you’d never lose it. With advanced locks and systems in place, you could have your home and car keys inserted in your body and never need a set of keys again.

Are People Actually Doing This?

Yes, and not only are people doing this, but they’re also sharing their stories with the world (because that’s what we do these days). In fact, YouTuber Aime DD is one of the first people to document her journey of installing a chip in her arm to ensure she can open her Tesla Model 3. Amie DD is covered in tattoos and therefore familiar with body modification and body art. She contacted one of these professionals and had the chip from her Tesla key card installed in her forearm. This is a pretty cool trick, but it brings up some questions.

A Biohacker Tells a Better Tale

While the implant that Aime DD put in her arm was documented and interesting, MotorTrend turned to biohacker Brandon Dalaly to learn much more about the procedure and possibilities. Dalaly shared his experience on Twitter with tags for Tesla and Elon Musk. Instead of taking the chip from his Tesla key card, Dalaly installed a multi-purpose chip in his hand that can run Java Card applets and use NFC functions. This isn’t a Tesla chip, but it pairs with his Tesla through the Tesla app.

Why Did Brandon Install His Chip?

Putting a car key under your skin to ensure you always have a key with you is clever, but it raises a few questions. Dalaly says he did this to have a backup for when hist phone fails to open the car or he doesn’t have his phone with him. It seems he’s done away with the key card as an option for his Tesla Model 3.

Instead of a body artis, Brandon Dalaly consulted a medical professional to consider the risks and potential side effects of installing this chip in his body. Once his concerns were covered, he felt confident going through with the procedure. The chip in his hand is encased in biocompatible materials used in many surgeries such as pacemaker implants.

Does Installing a Chip Car Key in Your Skin Make it More Vulnerable to Hackers?

We’ve all heard the warnings about hackers using skimmers to wirelessly steal your bank card information. They can often do this with anything that has an RFID chip. Using RFID-blocking pouches, we can keep these thieves out of our pockets, but how could this work with a chip embedded in your body.

The answer Dalaly provided tells that skimmers would have to make physical contact with his hand, where the chip is located, know the chip is there, and have an original key to verify the addition of a new key. These are some impressive protections that should keep the chip from being skimmed and copied.

Does This Sound Strange to You?

If it seems odd that anyone would implant a chip in their skin to simply open their car, it is. While most of us find this to be strange, there is a growing number of people doing this to ensure they can access their vehicles. It does bring up a few questions.

What happens when the owner with a car key under their skin sells the car?

What if you need surgery on that part of your body and the chip is removed? Do you have a backup car key?

What happens if you’re in an accident and the vehicle is totaled?

What are the long-term effects of implanting these chips under the skin?

Strange as it sounds, we might be heading toward a world where this becomes a norm, but there are many people who do not wish to have their bodies changed in this manner. Putting a car key under your skin shouldn’t be a solution to lost keys, but some people think that’s what they need to do.

Is this Something You Would Do?

Would you have your car key installed under your skin? Sure, you can benefit from opening and starting your car without the need of a key, but your car isn’t the only device in your life that requires a key to make it work. How many chips will you install in your body just to make sure you can open all the locks in your life?

Maybe, just maybe, you should get a clip for your key ring, or a small device that pings the location of your keys from your smartphone when you lose them. This could be a much more acceptable solution.