Biohackers Use a Raspberry Pi to Implant a Networked Hard Drive (the-parallax.com) 118
"Biohackers took one small but important step toward the science fiction dystopia depicted in William Gibson's Johnny Mnemonic," reports The Parallax, in an article shared by a Slashdot reader:
The Four Thieves Vinegar biohacking collective has not figured out how to precisely mimic the memory data transfer scenario Gibson conjured, but it has built a device to enable people to store and transfer data wirelessly in their bodies. Using off-the-shelf parts and focused efforts, the biohacking group has designed and built a networked hard drive, coated in a biosafe resin, to be subcutaneously implanted in the human body. It's powered by an external battery that connects to the device via an induction coil, and its storage capacity is limited only by the size of the microSD card it contains. Michael Laufer, who founded Four Thieves Vinegar, calls it the Pegleg.
In the small hours of August 8, in an operating room within the small house, two patients received the second version of the Pegleg implant, which Laufer says is the world's first subcutaneous networked drive... To make Pegleg v2, Laufer and his team removed from the Raspberry Pi both Micro USB connectors (one for power, one for data), the Mini HDMI connector, and the camera connector. They then soldered on a second Wi-Fi chip to enable it to transfer data to another Pegleg and allow other devices to connect to it, as well as an induction coil to enable it to be powered by a wireless battery resting in a contiguous sports armband or pants pocket. They enabled Bluetooth for future functionality, inserted a 512GB microSD card for storage, and updated the firmware. Finally, they coated the hacked device in a biocompatible acrylic resin to prevent it from interacting with the recipient's body and to diffuse the heat it emanates.
At 11:44 a.m. on the same day, Laufer -- an implant newbie who has three small tattoos but no piercings -- took a seat in the surgical room... During the procedure, Laufer passed out for a few seconds and vomited a little bit. But 32 minutes later, he had a functional "Pegleg" implant.
In the small hours of August 8, in an operating room within the small house, two patients received the second version of the Pegleg implant, which Laufer says is the world's first subcutaneous networked drive... To make Pegleg v2, Laufer and his team removed from the Raspberry Pi both Micro USB connectors (one for power, one for data), the Mini HDMI connector, and the camera connector. They then soldered on a second Wi-Fi chip to enable it to transfer data to another Pegleg and allow other devices to connect to it, as well as an induction coil to enable it to be powered by a wireless battery resting in a contiguous sports armband or pants pocket. They enabled Bluetooth for future functionality, inserted a 512GB microSD card for storage, and updated the firmware. Finally, they coated the hacked device in a biocompatible acrylic resin to prevent it from interacting with the recipient's body and to diffuse the heat it emanates.
At 11:44 a.m. on the same day, Laufer -- an implant newbie who has three small tattoos but no piercings -- took a seat in the surgical room... During the procedure, Laufer passed out for a few seconds and vomited a little bit. But 32 minutes later, he had a functional "Pegleg" implant.
But why? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re: But why? (Score:3)
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You really think a judge may not order this this thing to be removed and examined? Oh, and incidentally, while you wait for that red tape, you will be locked up. The more red tape, the longer.
Re: But why? (Score:2)
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Tumors aren't going to set off a metal detector. If this was a medically approved installed device (ie: pacemaker or neuronal stimulator), you would get a manufacturer's card that you would show to the TSA person.
Also, how can you prove this isn't a bomb that's installed subcutaneously? (Though, admittedly, if you were going to install a bomb under your skin, you probably have the ability to fake a manufacturer's card from a pacemaker company.)
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Oh sure, but it's rare enough they would have to figure out it's something other than a tumor
Big scar, hard object, sets of metal detector? At to that somebody how is obviously an idiot exhibiting these symptoms and you have a recipe for a problem.
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You really think a judge may not order this this thing to be removed and examined? Oh, and incidentally, while you wait for that red tape, you will be locked up. The more red tape, the longer.
Long enough to allow you to trigger a wipe I would imagine. Which if you're trafficking is usually the best answer.
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Long enough to allow you to trigger a wipe I would imagine. Which if you're trafficking is usually the best answer.
So you want "destroying evidence" on your rap-sheet as well? Fortunately for you, you cannot do that, the device is not self-powered.
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Can a judge do that? Say you had a metal pin installed just after a similar one was used in a crime, can they get it removed from your body for forensic examination?
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They probably can as long as there is no serious medical risk and if it does not cause serious damage, but they have good evidence. For example an X-Ray that shows something that is really not supposed to be there. Wound be interesting to know whether anybody trying to smuggle implanted drugs ever got caught.
For a metal pin in a place where it should be, doubtful for a country with intact rule of law. There are fewer and fewer of these around though.
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He was probably sobering up and realized what a dumb idea this
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You won't get through a metal detector,
According to TFA they did go through airport metal detectors and it didn't get picked up.
That doesn't make this any less dumb an idea though.
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Re: But why? (Score:3)
Re: But why? (Score:5, Insightful)
More likely he was being given anesthetics by someone without required expertise.
Also, he may have been "on something" already, such as drugs or alcohol, which caused those "unforeseen interactions".
Hell, he may have had grapefruit for breakfast. [drugs.com]
Anesthesiology is a career path which requires 10-12 years of university level education. Not including state licensure or board certification. [howtobecome.com]
Kids, don't take anesthetic from strange people, with at best questionable medical credentials, "in the small hours of August, in an operating room within the small house".
Or in "the operating-room chair in the surgical cleanroom in [the] garage" of a "registered nurse Jeffrey Tibbetts" just because he "has had 20 to 30 implants, almost all of them self-insertions".
That doesn't mean he has experience or knowledge on the subject.
That means that he's a fucking idiot who likes to cut himself and stick things inside his own flesh.
Particularly since he's then announcing that to the public.
Which not only makes his "secret" buthole drive not a secret - he's inviting various medical, sanitary and law agencies to come around and take a detailed look at his "garage/surgical cleanroom".
At the very least he may be running an unlicensed clinic. Kind that only takes cash and specializes in extraction of metallic foreign objects and patching of wounds.
Re: But why? (Score:2)
People use local anaesthetics for these things. Locals are pretty easy to use. The guy doing the implant was a nurse, and had previously implanted one in himself.
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I'm guessing the logic is that the police can't take it away from you without going through some serious red tape, and you might possibly pass checkpoints without raising red flags, etc. Still seems like there are better methods of file sharing, at least until this is small enough to be installed with a fat syringe.
Couldn't they "simply" burn pit & land onto a pair of contact lenses? Small amount of data, and only worm, but they could then defy the powermasters with impunity ( or whatever their narrative is ).
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Solid engineering solutions are boring. It is one of their primary characteristics. They come with low risk, good usability and no surprises.
That does not give you press exposure. For that you need to do meaningless, risky stunts and explain them as the second coming.
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The general issue with non-medical use electronics implants, is the fact the speed of technology increases, any slight benefit of having it implanted in your body, is offset by having to get a surgery done, and then supplemental surgeries to receive an upgrade.
Cultural norms has us wearing clothing, with most clothing that we ware, there is usually a component that has pockets, or for clothing without pockets it is considered fashionable to carry a bag to hold stuff. We already use these pockets to hold a
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In order for me to have something implanted I am not going to be a early adopter- and there better be some pretty solid benefits to the implant.
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"Would it not just be easier to put it in your pocket?"
Nude people don't have pockets.
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...still waiting.
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/s If only one could find free nudes on the Internet ... someday! =P
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Tell that to drug mules.
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Sure, but there are places where you're asked to empty your pockets where you don't know for sure what happens with the stuff after you empty your pockets.
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You could stuff it up your ass for extra security.
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In fact, you could stuff an Apple Watch into your ass, like Major Coolidge did in Pulp Fiction.
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That reminds me about a joke:
A nerd in a university is going home late from the campus, passing the pond he hears a tiny voice "kiss me I'm a princess! I make you rich and marry you!"
To his astonishment he finds an ugly fat frog sitting at the edge of the water repeating his promise: "Kiss me! I'm a transformed princess! Your kiss will convert me back into a beautiful girl! I make you rich and marry you!"
So he takes the frog and puts him into his pocket of his trousers.
A day later he goes to a party to drin
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Or hoop it.
wow its the future now. (Score:5, Insightful)
Can we just have a moratorium on these breathless "some guy stuck a capsule under his skin, it is the dawn of the Cyborg Age" articles? Yes, okay, the fingertip magnet thing was kind of cool, but ultimately what's being demonstrated here is just putting an object inside your body and communicating with it wirelessly, which (a) was done long ago by actual biomedical engineers for things like pacemakers, and (b) is not particularly interesting since the object in question doesn't interact with the body at all.
Next week: Some guy swallows a bug, "taking a small but important step toward the science fiction dystopia depicted in The Matrix".
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There are some legitimate medical devices that are swallowed.
For instance, it is difficult to put an endoscope into the small intestine, so the camera gets swallowed and records everything.
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The fingertip magnet stop being cool pretty fast if you run into another strong magnet or, say, an induction cooking field.
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Good point, my ex used induction stoves exclusively, I must admit I liked them a lot, better than cooking on gas.
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If it did, you'd see it in restaurants--but you don't.
But you do.
Our on-site campus cafeteria uses them to serve three meals per day to several thousand employees. The chef raves about them.
As a former line cook, I would value anything that helped me cook faster -- which an induction stovetop certainly does. Time is money.
The only barrier to wider restaurant use is cost. Most restaurants today are still using the same gas-fired stovetops and flattops that they were thirty years ago when I was cooking professionally. These items don't wear out very fast, a
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Induction behaves a bit different from gas and any model has its own individual settings. But once you get used to it, it is basically gas without the open flame and the potential for a mess.
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The fingertip magnet stop being cool pretty fast if you run into another strong magnet or, say, an induction cooking field.
I use rare-earth magnets under my shirt to hold my collars in place each day. I can see my fingers sticking to my collar and cursing every morning as I try and put them in place.
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What time we live in! Magnets to keep the collar in place, back in my day the dominatrix had to do it by hand...
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Still no magnet controllable butt plugs.
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Yes we can now take technology, coat it in plastic that our body doesn't treat it as in infection, and stick it in our bodies. The Plastic is the real technology here. New we can use this for numerous medical purposes, Which is fine, because the expense and cost of having it implanted is offset by the benefit to gives. However for the most part warble tech, achieves the same purpose without surgery.
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"Yes we can now take technology, coat it in plastic that our body doesn't treat it as in infection"
Doubtful. These people are idiots with too much time on their hands. My guess is they will eventually develop a massive reaction and have to remove it.
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However for the most part warble tech, achieves the same purpose without surgery.
Better! You can fix wearable tech easier, and upgrade it easier. The only advantage to implanted things is if it gives a medical advantage- OR was crucially important that you never leave it at home.
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When the future arrives, it is generally through a series of small steps that no one thinks is especially interesting at the time. But if you went back in time about 30 years with an iPhone, folks there would be pretty amazed. (Well, maybe not... it wouldn't do a lot of what it does because there would not be a compatible cellular network, or WiFi, and the iPhone doesn't have a hardware Ethernet port, or even much of an Internet to see because the web wasn't even around then.) So... you would have to go
This seems like an incredibly stupid thing to do. (Score:5, Funny)
I can see some people thinking this is awesome, but think of the negatives:
Random Security Guy at airport thinks it's a block of C4.
RSG want's to search it for Kiddy Porn. "Give us the password or we can keep your leg for 30 days"
Metal detectors go nuts when you go thru.
Chicks do NOT dig scars that the explanation involves a Raspberry PI.
If it overheats, you're headed to the ER.
There are several problems that could send you to the ER, including sepsis.
I gets hacked, and livestreams all your sex sessions, even when you're alone. :)
I can think of other problems, but you get the idea.
This is one of those things you'd think someone did while drunk, and woke up with, but I'm thinking not. :)
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Chicks do NOT dig scars that the explanation involves a Raspberry PI.
Oh? This scar, next to the square shaped bump on my thigh? I got that when I was rescuing the neighbour's puppy from a towering inferno that the firefighters refused to enter because it was too dangerous. As I jumped through the window to rescue the puppy, an oddly square shaped piece of glass lodged itself under my skin... I didn't notice it for a few days afterwards, by which time the skin had grown back and I decided to keep the glass there as a reminder to myself about the beautiful, fleeting nature
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Frankly, if you are stupid enough to enter a towering inferno to rescue a goddamn dog, cute googoo eyed puppy or not, you deserve the damn scar.
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I need you on speed dial... (Score:2)
You could probably get this thru security, lol. :)
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I prefer axe scars. This starts with rerouting the blood flow of you leg into an external situation. It is uncomfortable.
Then after some internal and external stitches it's all good (and your friends get to pack up your camping stuff and also bring it into your house).
And chicks love an axe scar.
I recommend axe wounds/scars!
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Raspberry Pi? (Score:3)
WTF? There's a lot of much smaller devices out there that would be way easier to implant (ex: ESP8266/etc).
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I was thinking the same, and then took one of my small ARM boards (with anSDCard on board) and looked at it. Loads smaller.
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Didn't you RTFA? He implanted it in his LEG. An ARM board would be a mismatch.
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Not saying this is a great idea, but they used a Pi Zero, not a standard Pi.
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Was just thinking the same thing. You can get an SD card with wifi built in, and some of those even have a micoSD slot. Remove the case and trim off the connector for a way smaller solution.
Control Group Kepler-Seven? (Score:4, Insightful)
"Now, if you're part of Control Group Kepler-Seven, we implanted a tiny microchip about the size of a postcard into your skull. Most likely you've forgotten it's even there, but if it starts vibrating and beeping during this next test, let us know, because that means it's about to hit five hundred degrees, so we're gonna need to go ahead and get that out of you pretty fast."
So Cave Johnson was ahead of his time indeed!
Oh good, they're using Pi Zeros and not full sized Pi's. Might not hit 500 degrees then.
Hard drives (Score:2)
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Honey, my Hardon crashed!!??
Far worst in the past (Score:2)
Die for an implant (Score:5, Insightful)
I had a friend who died because a medical implant (which had saved his life a few years earlier) caused a bacterial infection inside his body. Thank you, but I would never recommend this unnecessary risk.
Re:Die for an implant (Score:5, Insightful)
And note that the implant in question was developed by professional engineers, tested and certified by different professional engineers, and implanted by a licensed doctor who had been trained to implant it safely. All you "bio-hackers", please consider your relative level of expertise as you smear "biosafe resin" over the wet-electrolyte capacitors on your Raspberry Pi.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
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You're the guy that keeps the phrase "space nutter" in popular usage every time something vaguely space related pops up around here, right?
Huh, well I'll be damned.
We actually agree on something.
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Space is cool, but Space Nutters like you are not because you are anti-Science. You don't understand space enough to know what is possible, and what is not.
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These things are not safe, even when performed by qualified people. Sure getting an implant because your life depends on it, means you probably should accept the risk, because a 10% risk of dying from infection months later, is better than a 99% risk of dying without getting the procedure.
However if you are just getting a gimmick installed in your body, you are just giving yourself a 10% risk of dying from infections months later, for perhaps a 5 minute conversation with people who may be slightly impresse
How is this any different... (Score:2)
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Remember the scene in Pulp Fiction where Captain Koons gave Butch the Watch his daddy had stuffed up his ass for 5 years? If you do that with an Apple Watch you could get the same results!
complete idot (Score:2)
the hardware was not designed at all for these requirements and fails a LOT
these are complete idiots
what makes it very galling is there is a lot of simple off the shelf electronics that would be perfect for this type of application but these fools are incapable of doing basic research...
oh well I guess they will be claiming on the medical care of the united states... of wait...
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Not to mention, imagine how pissed they're gonna be when they want to transfer that 4.1G file and they only have a 4G microSD card in the device. "Hold on dude, I'm going to the surgeon, I'll be right back!"
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How did he manage to seal it up? You know it's going to fail and he's going to get blood poisoning from the metals or even sepsis. Also they need to arrest whatever back alley amateur "surgeon" installed this thing.
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They coated it in a resin. Says so in the summary.
The resin's fairly well understood stuff. As long as it doesn't get damaged, it's just a non-reactive lump in the body regardless of what's inside it.
I'd say it's pretty stupid to risk surgery for this, but what the hell, I'd rather people be free to be stupid than have something in place that would prevent it.
What demented nonsense (Score:2)
This is religion, not tech. That "important step" is complete nonsense as it has no rational use. I mean, that thing is not even self-powered or powered from the body. Really not different from carrying it around in a pocket. And using a Raspberry Pi for that? Were they unable to find even worse hardware?
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Pegleg? (Score:2)
Hmmm... (Score:5, Funny)
Biohackers use a raspberry pi to implant a networked hard drive
Idiots.
A scalpel would have done the job far easier and with less scarring.
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Biohackers use a raspberry pi to implant a networked hard drive
Idiots.
A scalpel would have done the job far easier and with less scarring.
I would have been more impressed if this was robotic surgery powered by a raspberry pi and operated by someone on the other side of the world.
Huge step (Score:2)
This is a huge step for mankind. Next we will have AI cyborgs living on Mars. It is only logical.
Antenna necessary? (Score:2)
Do you need a doctor (Score:2)
When I was reading this story (on an old device that doesn't have any add blocking) I was presented with an ad from some medical group that asked "Do you need a doctor? We can help you!". While rather appropriate for this story, I think some better ads would be:
"Do you need to re-evaluate your life because you keep making stupid decisions?" or
"Do need a lawyer because you are about to be sued for performing unlicensed medical procedures?"
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I doubt the 'doctor' who has a degree from the "Hollywood Upstairs Medical College" hanging on his wall cares anything about liability or basic regulations.
I wonder which quack they went to (the only kind of 'doctor' I can envision who would implant this) and what complications that will arise from going to a doctor that flouts medical law and ethics.
Johnny Mnemonic (Score:4, Informative)
That is not at all how the data couriers worked in Johnny Mnemonic. In the short story / movie the data was stored in the human brain itself in the synapses, etc. It was purely biological. If more storage space was needed than was available, memories could be "erased" from the courier and overwritten with data. They would literally lose their identity and past if they wanted to carry more data than they could accommodate. It also affected their ability to function in general if they went over their cap. It's all rather silly, but there were two points for transferring data this way. One was security, where the person with the data in their brain had some kind of control over accessing that data, and it was "unlocked" by showing them a serious of visual cues. The other was obviously that the data was perishable, and if anything happened to the courier the data was gone forever.
None of that has anything to do with embedding a physical chip in your body, which at the end of the day is no different than sticking an SD card in your pocket and carrying it around. It can still be accessed if you are alive or dead or without you even knowing.
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I was going to post the same thing, but then i re-read the summary.
Re-read the summary.
HTH, HAND
What’s the metal detector signature? (Score:2)
When scanned at airports, does this device look like standard medical metal, the kind you tell Security about upfront? This would depend on placement as well as signature, so for serious data smugglers I can envision a market developing for knee and hip replacements that have drives like this built in. You could stash a lot of data in a hip.
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My question is who is crazy enough to risk infection or even rejection with this implant just to become part of some new whacked out future world that really only exists in their head?
Oh well, count on good old Chuck Darwin to weed out people like this. I don't think their reproductive prospects were very high to begin with.
I remember when Slashdot wasn't mostly populated w (Score:2)
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News flash for you, these icompentents don't know what they're doing and have accomplished nothing useful and have not advanced any technology whatsoever. They are worthy of a segment on *jackass* and nothing more
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I think the Darwin Awards is a better venue.
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How would this advance anything at all? It is a Raspberry PI. It would have the same effect if it wasn't implanted at all. Completely stupid. We already have implanted medical devices into people, so no "advance" there. And no, I doubt they know more than anyone about bio hacking. Sticking something in your body isn't bio-anything or hacking-anything
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This puts the mental state of these people in serious question. I envision a padded cell and a lot of electroshock therapy in their futures.
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WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!? (Score:2)
TSA (Score:2)
The airport security will have a field day with this. Try explaining why you have an electronics implant without FDA approval.
Fun times.
Usefulness zero, pompousness +10 (Score:2)
He knew the batteries would go dead, and it would need to be removed later.
I think he honestly had a more realistic attitude about this sort of thing however. He didn't make any breathless statements about changing the course of the universe with what he did.
Oooooohhkkkkaayyy (Score:2)
Also, I heard that if you swallow several micro SD cards crammed with data you become super smart.
Do I count as being part of this evil dystopia mark of the beast Skynet Bladerunner whatever if I simply tape the networked drive to my body and swear to never remove it?
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The only bio-hacking going on is the resin tricking the body into not attacking the foreign object.
The crap inside the lump is irrelevant. Since it has to be powered from an external battery anyway, it would be simpler to just carry the Pi in your pocket.
But what the hell, progress is made through failures. Guys like this will highlight the problems for people that do things actually useful with the tech.
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"* I tried numerous times to create an account on Plenty of Fish (dating site). Every single time, no matter what information I inputted into the registration form, it would give fake error messages about how the "username is already taken" (even when trying impossible, ridiculous ones full of random alphanumeric characters)."
Why would you even attempt to use those kinds of sites? They are very scummy, making you enter
all of your personal info before finally disclosing that you have to pay money to