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Utah man implants technology into his skin to unlock Tesla with one swipe

Posted at 6:52 AM, Dec 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-12-23 07:05:22-05

SPRINGVILLE, Utah — (KSTU/CNN) -- A Utah man has put some technology under his skin that lets him unlock his Tesla with just a wave of his hand.

Ben Workman is one of the few people around the world who use cybernetic implants. Simply speaking, he has different kinds of computer chips implanted in his skin that lets him do different things.

With his four implanted chips, Workman can unlock his car, unlock doors at work, log on and off his computer and share contact information. The implants use the same tech that's used for Apple Pay and Android Pay.

You may be wondering what would inspire someone to do something like this. For workman, it's pretty simple. He says he did it out of curiosity.

"In all reality it was experimentation and curiosity," said Workman.

The process to get the chips into Workman's hands wasn't as simple as his motivation, though. For his few two chips, he couldn’t convince his doctor or a piercing studio to help him. So, he ended up getting a family member to implant the chips for him.

"On the first two, I actually didn't have anyone. I tried going to a veterinarian, a doctor, a piercing studio, no one would do it," said Workman.

A Utah man put some tech under his skin that lets him unlock his Tesla with just a wave of his hand.
A Utah man put some tech under his skin that lets him unlock his Tesla with just a wave of his hand.

However, implanting the Tesla key required a bit more work, and he managed to convince a piercing studio to help him, although they weren’t too keen on the idea.

Workman also has a magnet implanted in his left hand.

“Which is literally just a magnet. It doesn't have any interesting functionality besides magic tricks and fun stuff,” Workman said.

Whether it's a practical joke or practicality, Workman said he's excited to see what he'll be able to do next. For his next adventure, he wants to put a chip in his hand that lets him pay for things without a credit card or phone.

Courtesy of KSTU via CNN Newsource