NOT A MEDICAL ADVICE : Bitcoiner implants Lightning chip to make BTC payments by hand
A Bitcoiner has literally taken the Lightning Network into his own hands, installing a tiny payment chip into his hands to make NFC contactless payments.
The Lightning Network continues to shock the Bitcoin community.
A swiss IT Professional called F418 (not his real name) surgically implanted a Lightning-enabled chip into his left hand to make Lightning Network (LN) payments.
Speaking with Cointelegraph, F418 said he experimented with body modification and LN payments for fun. He does not recommend that Bitcoin enthusiasts take the layer-2 payments network, the LN, into their own hands as he did. “The use is just to show that it is possible and you can do stuff like that.” He added that most people carry cards, it’s just his hand has the wow factor:
Cointelegraph first met with F418 in his home country of Switzerland at the LN-friendly Plan B Lugano Conference. His attempts to pay failed as the first implant F418 used was “Defective.” Undeterred, F418 visited a medical professional to surgically remove the implant before trying again.
The second attempt succeeded. The chip sits neatly in his left hand and can now make LN payments–without reaching for a Bolt Card or a smartphone. But does it hurt, Cointelegraph asked. “I don’t feel anything–even when I go to the gym,” he replied.
Nonetheless, F418 brings up certain risks to the procedure. While the process is medically safe, “The only problem with the implants is that you can not make them really safe. It’s not the same security as the bolt card–you can only do LNURL withdraw; it’s not safe.”
Plus, if you make a mistake during the implantation process, it’s not a good idea to take the chip in and out of the body. It could cause harm or infection, F418 explained, so it’s best to get it the right the first time.