For now, humans rely on devices for connectivity, but imagine a future where the human body becomes the conduit for data transfer.

Purdue University engineer Shreyas Sen said in a report on the university’s website that his lab is working on an invention that could turn the human body into a network for connecting devices.“Right now, our gateway to the Internet is this very exciting box in our hands. We find ourselves heads down, looking at it for a significant fraction of our awake time.

“If that’s not the kind of future we want, then technology needs to evolve,” said Sen, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

“Instead, the smartphone could be deconstructed and distributed all around you at suitable locations such that it becomes invisible to the eye,” he said.

Sen’s invention, a chip called the Wi-R, allows the human body to transfer data through skin contact.

In a YouTube video, Sen showcased the functionality of the Wi-R chip embedded in a phone.

By gripping the phone in one hand and touching a copper wire connected to an audio system with the other, he transmitted music from the phone, playing it loudly through the speakers.

Sen also showed that data transfer is possible even with two people, as long as they are all “connected” through touch, forming a complete circuit.

Unlike traditional wireless signals, which radiate outwards - for instance, Bluetooth signals from a phone can be detected by anyone in a 5m to 10m radius - Wi-R is claimed to be confined to the signal on the surface.

It is also claimed that it uses 100 times less energy than Bluetooth.Sen founded the startup Ixana to commercialise Wi-R and showcase other uses, such as exchanging information between two smartphones with gestures like handshakes or fist bumps and even activating AR experiences at museums through touch. 

Innovating implants

In the future, Sen hopes to take this technology even further by enabling users to control devices without touching or looking at them.

Through implants placed at key points within the brain, he envisions that people will be able to use their thoughts to perform tasks such as turning on an oven or typing and sending out a message.

However, to effectively capture simultaneous signals from thousands of neurons in the brain, the implants will require data transmission speeds of at least tens of megabits per second, something not possible with current technology.

Neurotechnology company Neuralink, founded in 2016 by billionaire Elon Musk, is also pushing boundaries with brain implants. 

In September, it received approval to recruit human participants for a clinical trial of its PRIME (precise robotically implanted brain-computer interface) study.

The study aims to investigate the effectiveness and safety of its wireless brain-computer interface, known as N1, that will allow people with paralysis to control devices with their thoughts.

The company said the N1, which records neural activity through 1024 electrodes distributed across 64 threads, each thinner than a human hair, is “cosmetically invisible”.

The initial aim of the study is to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts.

The study will take six years to complete, and Neuralink is looking for participants with quadriplegia.

In other news, CNBC reported that since 2021, the startup Synchron has initiated an early feasibility trial for its Synchron Switch, a brain-computer interface (BCI) that can be permanently implanted.

Considered a less invasive approach, it is implanted through the blood vessels.

The technology will enable individuals with restricted physical mobility to control a cursor on a device or smart home appliances through their thoughts.

They will also be able to use it to shop online or manage their health and finances.

According to Synchron CEO Tom Oxley, patients were particularly excited to be able to send text messages.

“Losing the ability to text message is incredibly isolating. Restoring the ability to text message loved ones is a very emotional restoration of power,” he told CNBC.

Pay with your palm

Last year, the BBC reported that people are already getting microchips injected into their hands to perform contactless payments.

British-Polish firm Walletmor has successfully sold over 500 of these chips, with one customer saying that he has had the implant since 2019.The chip, weighing less than a gramme, is crafted from biopolymers, a naturally sourced material akin to plastic. It uses NFC (near-field communication) technology, the same contactless payment system found in smartphones.

Meanwhile, other companies are exploring simple, contactless payment options without the need for a microchip implant.

In July, Amazon announced that it is rolling out a palm recognition service that can be used for payment, identification and entry at over 500 of its stores in the United States by the end of the year.

Customers only need to hover their palms over a scanner designed to read and recognise their unique palm signature. The company claimed that, unlike a credit card or password, the palm signature cannot be replicated to impersonate another customer.