Insertables (ɪnˈsəːtɪəb(ə)l/) - N
Devices that go in, though and underneath the skin. This includes devices that an individual can insert and remove themselves and those that must be inserted by a trained professional.
Insertable devices are novel and not well understood by the public. Knowledge about insertables is primed from science-fiction portrayals and influenced by cognitive biases and intuition, public discourse, sensationalist news pieces, and misinformation and disinformation. These can manifest as misperceptions, irrational fears, and conspiracy-theories. As a result, insertables use is sometimes spoken about as a fantastical practice amongst cyborgs, transhumanists or ‘others’ generally outside the mainstream. Insertables use is contested with moral and religious objections to both the devices and the users.
My thesis was motivated by a need for empirical understanding of the current uses and capabilities of insertable devices to demystify this mythologised technology. The research was primarily qualitative, leveraging grounded theory to examine 126 insertables users, five Swedish organisations allowing their customers to use insertables and 12 companies manufacturing and selling devices in six separate studies.
There were four overarching themes from the body of research as a whole:
There is no singular or even dominant way in which insertables users refer to themselves.
There are perceived-usability and interaction problems that are beginning to be addressed by companies as the market moves beyond hobbyist use.
There is a social price to pay for using insertables, as users face significant judgement and stigma.
Insertable companies’ intentions do not align with some claims and predictions about the future of insertables.
Grounded in this data, myths are dismantled, misperceptions are recontextualised and uses are reframed. This expanded knowledge allowed for implications to be drawn, rather than speculation based on knowledge and discourse primed from the aforementioned sources of science-fiction, cognitive biases and intuition, public-discourse, sensationalist news pieces, misinformation, and disinformation.
From my blog
Publications
Socio-technical context for insertable devices Frontiers in Psychology, 2022
Insertables: Beyond Cyborgs and Augmentation to Convenience and Amenit Technology-Augmented Perception and Cognition, Springer 2021
Towards Insertables: Devices inside the human body First Monday 2017
Military Insertables: Lessons from Civilian Use IEEE Technology & Society Magazine 2017
You Put What, Where? Hobbyist Use of Insertable Devices CHI 2016
Superhuman Abilities Could Lurk Under your Skin University of Melbourne PURSUIT
Insertables: I've got IT under my skin ACM Interactions 2016
Preliminary findings | CIS Doctoral Consortium 2015 View full size poster
If you’re really keen, the whole thesis is available here https://hdl.handle.net/11343/297323
Media Apperances
Television
Would you implant a microchip under your skin? SBS | 16 August 2018
Would you get a microchip? Weekend Sunrise | 4 November 2017
ABC The Drum | 3 August 2017 Hosted by Julia Baird
The ephemeral nature of television means that not all appearances have been captured digitally. Other TV appearances included Sunrise, Weekend Sunrise, ABC and Sky News.
Radio and podcasts
Go Hack Yourself — ABC (30 September 2018)
When high tech gets under your skin The Signal — ABC (28 August 2018)
WA Afternoons — ABC Radio Perth (20 June 2018) Listen on Soundcloud
Afternoons with Katherine Feeney — ABC Radio Brisbane (22 March 2018) Listen on Soundcloud
Mornings with Leon Compton — ABC Radio Northern Tasmania Listen on Soundcloud
Parallel Lines with Sara Savage — 102.7 RRR FM (12 April 2017) Listen on Soundcloud
Machine I: An Interview with Kayla Heffernan UXPod Podcast with Gerry Gaffney (14 July 2016)
Byte in IT with Vanessa Toholka — 102.7 RRR FM (4 May 2016) Listen on Soundcloud
All Day Breakfast with Red Symons — 774 ABC Melbourne (16 Feb 2016) Listen on Soundcloud
Morning's with Ali Clark — 891 ABC Adelaide (16 Feb 2016) Listen on Soundcloud
Mitchell's Front Page with Mitchell Dye — 94.7 The Pulse (15 Feb 2016) Listen on Soundcloud
Other radio appearances, not recorded, included Saturday Breakfast with Hilary Harper (ABC Melbourne, 1 July 2017) and All Day Breakfast with Red Symons (774 ABC Melbourne, 27 Sept 2017), Future Tense with Antony Funnel and the now-defunct Dangerous Minds podcast with c00p3r, Cur50r and Damien.
Newspapers & blogs
A sample of my newspaper appearances.
Why You’re Probably Getting a Microchip Implant Someday The Atlantic September 21 2018
The technology getting under your skin: Swedish biohacker says bio-implants movement growing globally ABC News August 28 2018
What it’s like to have two microchips in my hands News.com.au March 9 2018
Under the skin: how insertable microchips could unlock the future The Guardian November 1 2017
Tech festival launches with injectable microchips … under the skin The New Daily November 1 2017
Use your hands to pay, unlock the door, and as an e-pass. The future is now here Craving Tech 2 November 2017
This tech festival is implanting microchips instead of using tickets The Next Web 2 November 2017
Pause Fest launches 2018 festival by injecting participants with tiny microchips Smart Company 2 November 2017
Injectable computer chips inserted under the skin could unlock everything from your front door to a smart phone and more The Herald Sun 3 November 2017
Inserting electronic devices into the body becoming popular with Melburnians The Leader 26 September 2017
Worker chip implants ‘only matter of time’ The Australian 3 August 2017
Implant technology: I’ve got you, and lots of data, under my skin The Australian 30 August 2016
No more keys or cards? Technology goes under the skin The University of Melbourne Press Release 15 June 2016
Interview
Greek Newspaper May 21 2018
There are predictable questions I get asked over and over again when someone finds out what I research, and that I have 2 microchips inside my body. These same questions pop up on social media every time I appear on TV or in the news.
Some people refused to believe the reality of how these chips work, and there’s no point trying to change these minds; the “the Government is secretley tracking you with a microchip you received at birth, it’s all about the New World Order and they’ll switch you off if you don’t comply” crowd.
This post is not for them. This post answers the FAQs for people genuinely interested in learning about the technology and educating themselves on the reality.