Current carrying wire

During a recent long and particularly boring meeting I was sitting next to a laptop computer which was plugged in to a wall outlet. I used my magnetic sense to explore power supply, which emitted a now familiar buzz from the small transformer inside it. I was quite surprised to also feel a sensation from the power cable as well, a faint vibration but definitely there.

When current flows through a straight conductor, there is a magnetic field encircling it. In the case of a DC current the field is stable and the direction can be determined using the right hand rule.

An illustration of a DC current carrying wire's magnetic field.

AC current, however, produces an oscillating field which can be picked up with the implant. Having explored several power cords, it appears that low current devices (like light bulbs) don't draw enough current to be detectable. Only higher current draw devices produce the faint buzzing sensation. Also, only the hot wire will yield a sensation, as the neutral wire normally carries no current. The cable type itself plays a large part in detectability too. Shielded cable (predictably) is far less likely to produce a detectable field, as is cable that is enclosed in metal conduit.

Pretty cool, nonetheless.

2 Months, all is well, sensation has further improved

Two months have gone my since my implant and all is going well. I have had a few incidents where the implant suddenly hurt when gripping/grabbing an item, but the pain does not linger. Usually it's more of a pinching sensation than anything, which makes total sense given its placement and rigidity. I'm fairly careful with the finger in day to day life, but I don't really worry about the implant rupturing as I would if it were coated in silicone.

The implant has continued to become more sensitive. In cases where I previously just felt faint tingles and buzzes, I now sense subtle variations in fields. The coils on my stove, my microwave, innocuous looking items fixed to building walls... they all have an interesting facet that was invisible to me before. Most of the time I seek them out, bringing my implant close to things that may have a detectable field. Other times I'm caught by surprise. While at a WalMart checkout lane, for example. The product I bought had a theft protection tag:

When the device in the register disabled it (it makes a weird springy "bonnng" sound) I felt a sudden vibration from my implant. It honestly took me a few seconds to figure out what had happened as my hand was quite far away. Those things make quite a strong field, no wonder they tell you to keep credit cards off of them!

Permanent magnets are quite interesting too. I have found myself saying "woah, that's a magnet in there" after feeling the sensation when I reach past or over a concealed magnet. Strong magnets produce an unmistakable tug on the implant, of course, though I find it's far easier to detect a pull than a push. Magnets are quite fun to play with, though I'm becoming increasingly aware of the fact that a very strong magnet could pose quite a problem for me.

A close friend of mine, who initially turned me on to the idea of magnet implants, has finally decided to get one himself. I hope his experience is every bit as awesome as mine has been.

5 Weeks later, looking good

It's now been over five weeks since the implant. Everything appears to be going well, as the magnet has not migrated any further. It seems that it did indeed stop where the stitch had originally been placed, indicating that future implantations should be stitched more deeply.

I often find myself maneuvering my finger close to objects to take in any sensations that may be present, rotating my hand unnaturally. Ideally, I would like to use my entire hand hand rather than a single finger. Here's the location of my implant now:

The yellow dot shows the approximate location of my implant.

I think a quite favorable result could be achieved by using 12 total implants, like so:

Using multiple implants on each finger could give much more rich sensation.

At this point, however, I don't think that this is a good idea. Since my first implant has healed at a depth more shallow than I originally intended, it can be felt by pressing on my finger. Certain activities, such as gripping objects or playing foosball (as I discovered), can easily stress and cause pain and injury to the area. While it's not a big deal for a single finger, as I instinctively favor my other fingers now, a full array of these could pose quite a problem during day to day activities. Also, there is the question of polarity and orientation. There are no markings on the magnets to show their orientation (through playing with a compass I determined mine is South side out.) For an effective array, I would think that the magnets should all be oriented in the same way, which could be quite difficult to ensure during the implantation process. Something to start thinking about, at very least.

I'll continue to monitor the existing implant, and perhaps get two or three more in the near future, but a full hand project is still a ways off. On a related note, I'm receiving a set of significantly larger, more powerful, Parylene coated magnetic cylinders. I hope to implant one to see the effects of a more powerful magnet.

Rejected? Part two.

The skin has healed, and aside from a bit of redness looks completely normal.

Having just passed the four week mark, it seems like things aren't going so well. The magnet has slowly moved closer and closer to the surface as the tissue inside heals it out. The same coating that makes the implant biocompatible also makes it quite slick to tissue, which is unable to "grab" it. The surface tissue is completely healed, but pressing gently reveals a spot beneath (it turns white, like when I push on my skin and let go.) In the right light, the dark color of the implant can be seen through the skin.

Gently pushing above the implant reveals that it is quite shallow. The darker area is assumed to be the magnet.

The magnet's ability to attract metallic objects has increased dramatically, which also indicates that the implant is getting closer to the surface. This is the critical point though, as the magnet has reached the depth at which the stitch had healed. If the migration stops here, it should be OK. If it continues to push out, however, I will have to remove it. A deeper stitch would be definitely recommended for a later try, as it would cause this critical point to be deeper in the skin as well.

If the implant ends up stabilizing, the migration will be a blessing in disguise. As the magnet has surfaced, my ability to feel minute vibrations has sharpened considerably. For now I will continue letting it be. It is not at all painful or uncomfortable, and still appears to be far enough under the skin to not pose a problem.

Week 3: Microwave ovens, RFID readers and more!

It's been three weeks since the magnet was implanted, and things seem to be going very well. I have experienced a notable increase in sensitivity, and have been searching for things to feel with my new sense. I find that with each passing day I can pick up weaker and more subtle fields, and I'm continually surprised by the increasing sensitivity of the implant. Here are some items that I found produce distinct sensations:

Transformers and fluorescent light ballasts - These were the first items I could sense, and produce an even more vivid sensation than before. Passing my finger nearby results in a distinct buzzing vibration. By grabbing at the invisible field I can visualize its shape, more intense in places, less in others.


Microwave ovens - passing my hand near the running magnetron gives me a unique sensation, though it's not as intense (at least not right now) as I thought it would be. Perhaps my microwave is just very well shielded.


RFID readers - My coworkers must think that I'm crazy. I was pawing curiously at our RFID badge readers and found a weak but interesting sensation. The field itself is more complex than that of a transformer and seems to change shape and intensity over time. It's a weaker field, so I have to concentrate to find it. ***EDIT: Later exploration revealed that I actually cannot feel these devices. It makes sense, too, given the nature of their operation.***
Brushless fans - the tiny cooling fan of my eeePC is quite noticeable. It's very intense near the center and has a very different frequency than the standard 60 hz that I am becoming familiar with in my daily environment.

I can find the power supply in my LCD monitor by feel, and my roommate's sonicare toothbrush (not surprisingly) is quite intense. I feel I have just scratched the surface of the sensory capabilities of this implant and can't wait to find new, interesting things to feel!

Two week report: entry cut is healed.

After two weeks of pampering my implant entry wound, I figured it was time to pull the band-aid off. Up to this point I had kept it loosely covered, changing the bandage as necessary and treating with Neosporin. At first glance it looked as if the wound had yet to heal. The area around the entry cut had turned white and it looked like a popped blister, for lack of a better comparison. I was afraid that the magnet was once again rejecting and working itself out of my finger. After a quick shower and a gentle scrub, however, the layer of dead white skin came off and revealed that the entry wound had completely closed up.

Implant entry point after 15 days, up close and under direct LED light. The camera makes it look a lot worse than it actually is.

The second attempt is officially more successful than the first attempt which, as you may recall, failed at week 3 when the magnet came out like a splinter. In the picture above, you see the freshly healed layer of skin where the incision was made, surrounded by dry, cracked skin (I don't exactly moisturize regularly...) The photo makes the area look quite ragged, but it's the same effect you get when you examine your skin with a magnifying glass: what's normal and healthy to your eyes looks rough and gross up close. In fact, the site of the first rejected implant is noticeably lumpier and has been slower to heal than the now healed implant site.

Under normal light, the cut is barely noticeable. The speckles in the background are magnets being inspected for flaws.

At the time of writing, the area is no longer painful in any way. Full sensitivity has returned to the region and I can grab, touch, poke, and submerge with no problems. The implant is not at all visible, and can't be readily found by touch.

The next few months will tell for sure if the tiny Parylene coated magnet was indeed suitable for long term implantation. As for now I'm just happy to not be wearing a Neosporin treated bandaid.

Stitch is out

It's been a little over a week since the second attempt magnet implantation. After examining the healing wound, we removed the stitch.

While the photograph makes it look very irritated, the cut seems to be healing nicely.

Now I just have to heal what amounts to a small cut. While I'm not "out of the woods" on this one (the first attempt also appeared to be healing well before ultimately being rejected,) it does appear much healthier than the first. The hard part will be avoiding absentmindedly playing with the wound. With the stitch in, it was painful to anything more than the lightest of touches, which kept me from messing with it. Now that I can touch it again I find myself rubbing, playing with the band-aid, etc. which is definitely NOT helping the healing process.

I have started to get sensations around stronger fields again. I can once again sense the buzz of AC adapters and electric toothbrushes. Magnetic attraction is much weaker though, presumably due to the deeper placement of the magnet. With the last placement I could easily pick up a large paper clip, but this implant is barely able to lift a small paper clip. This does not bother me at all, as the implant is for sensory enhancement rather than utility.

Things look good for now, and in the next few weeks I should know for sure if the implant has taken.

Implant #2

After receiving a shipment of Parylene coated magnets, I once again had one implanted. After some discussion, we decided to try a slightly different approach. We theorized what went wrong and adjusted the implantation method to better the chances of a successful healing. I made a nifty diagram to illustrate:
Note: The bevel of the needle in the diagram on the right is not in the proper orientation. It was actually rotated 90 degrees so that the pointy long side was facing my fingernail.

The first time, which ultimately ended up rejecting, is on the left. The needle was inserted as shown, making a pocket close to the surface. As the wound healed the magnet was pushed out with the help of gravity and the lubricity of Parylene.

This time we went straight into the side, deeper into the tissue with no angle to the cut. There was more bleeding this time, which made the magnet a bit tricky to get inside. The suture was probably the most uncomfortable part of the procedure (the black squiggle I drew on the diagram), but I really think it's the key to getting this implant healed properly.

I've now started the healing process once again, and am being extra careful not to stress the area or expose it to any strong magnetic fields. With any luck everything will go smoothly and I will be feeling fields in no time!

Rejected.

Exactly three weeks after implantation, the Parylene coated magnet emerged from my finger. I have several theories as to why the implantation process failed, but will first describe the events of the past week.

Last Saturday I made an entry describing what I saw could be beginning of the end. The small cut on the surface of my finger still had not healed, and exploratory poking revealed an unhealed pocket and what looked like the tip of the magnet. I used a band-aid to keep the wound covered and treated it with Neosporin. Things seemed to be going OK, but at the same time it was not healing as I'd hoped.

A week later, I took the bandage off for several hours and the events that had happened the previous week repeated themselves. The area around the magnet puffed up and a small discharge came through the cut. This time the discharge was yellowish - a sign that things weren't going well at all. It was at this point that I decided to remove the magnet.

After 3 weeks, the dark colored magnet could be seen from the original insertion point.

Squeezing just underneath the puffy tissue caused the magnet to peek out of the hole. I used another small magnet to pull on it and the implant loosely moved, held back by a small amount of transparent tissue. I used a sterile razor to make a small incision, which I did not feel at all. The magnet popped out easily at this point, followed by a tiny bit of blood.

After removal, the area was irritated.

My finger was a little bit sore afterwords, but without the magnet beneath the skin it has since healed much more quickly. The magnet itself appears to be completely intact. There was no tissue attached to it nor discoloration. The coating seems to have performed as expected, but due to it's exceptional lubricity the implant moved easily around inside. My theory is that the wound, being a puncture wound in nature, healed from the bottom up, moving the magnet along as it healed. Eventually it was just pushed out like a splinter. I believe the next attempt at implantation should most definitely have a suture. This would cause the surface to heal much more quickly, resulting in a more successful healing process.

The magnet is perfectly intact, and shows no signs of degradation.

It was discouraging to have the magnet come out so long after implantation, but at least it was a painless removal. I'm happy to see that the Parylene coating worked well and think that it is an excellent way to protect an implant. Even the small taste of extrasensory perception has propelled me to continue seeking a stable, long term implant. Additional magnet specimens will be arriving within a few days, so hopefully I will be attempting the procedure again soon.

Rejected?

It's been a little over two weeks since I had a Parylene coated magnet implanted in my finger.

Over the past few days there have been apparent complications with healing. I'll recap the healing process, and where I think things went wrong: After the initial procedure, I kept the entry wound covered, first with a liquid bandage, then a bandaid. After the wound decreased in size and scabbed I stopped dressing it and continued in my day to day life. Healing seemed to be going well until a circular area surrounding the magnet became raised and "poofy." It was not painful or sensitive - in fact, the area largely lacked sensitivity. It stayed this way for a few days. While showering, I gently pressed on the raised area and a small amount of clear fluid discharged from the previously closed entry wound. The wound became "unglued" revealing that the inside was not healing as I thought. My body seemed to be rejecting the implant.

I gently prodded the area, and could actually see the black edge of the disc through the entry wound. It's possible that exposing the partially healed implant to other fields and metals as well as typing had led to it's distress.

I was faced with a choice: remove the implant and try again with a different installation method, or continue trying to heal. I opted for the latter. I cleaned the now sore-from-poking entry point and wrapped a bandaid relatively tightly around it so that a gentle pressure was applied. My plan was to heal the pocket of separated tissue by using a bandage to keep it pushed together.

After 2 days of keeping slight pressure on it, there is no longer a "puffy" spot and normal feeling has returned to the area. In fact, the area has become more sensitive than it ever has been. The entry wound itself has closed again, and has not discharged any more fluid. As far as I can tell, it's once again on the path to healing. I have resolved to adamantly "leave it the hell alone" until I am certain that it has healed or necessitates removal.

Feeling Fields, not Waves

After writing the previous post it became very clear that the title "Feeling waves" is a bit misleading. In short, I'm not feeling waves at all.

For any sensation to take place, the magnet has to exert force on the tissues surrounding it. This happens when the magnetic field of the magnet inside my finger interacts with another magnetic field (or is attracted to a ferrous surface.)

Iron filings can be used to visualize magnetic field lines.

In the case of power transformers (like the one in my alarm clock) the field oscillates with the voltage, at 60 hertz. Unlike a stationary field, which would repel or attract the implant constantly, the changing field repels then attracts, changing 60 times a second. This makes the magnet vibrate. Stronger fields would mean more pronounced vibration. Higher frequencies would cause faster vibrations.

A sine wave. Like the voltage in a transformer, the magnetic field within it also oscillates.

So I'm not feeling waves, I'm feeling the effects of a sinusoidally changing magnetic field. This also means that I will not be able to feel electromagnetic waves like those emitted by antennas. I won't go into the specifics, as I can't really think of a way to explain it without getting very deep into the theory.

If any of this sparked an interest or left you going "HUH?" Wikipedia has great articles on it all, ranging from magnet basics to Quantum electrodynamics.

The first wave

While I have felt the sensations of stronger magnetic fields, such as other magnets and attraction to ferrous surfaces, until last night I had not felt the effects of an electromagnetic field.

I was adjusting my alarm clock and felt a faint vibration. I explored the space around it and found regions of varying intensity... as if the field was a flowing arc of vibrating air. While it is tough to describe exactly, I would liken the sensation to feeling a loudspeaker's vibration by holding your hand near it, only with no sound or visual feedback. It's kind of eerie feeling something tangible in the air where there was nothing before, but at the same time extremely exciting.

Here's what I think caused the field, and will be the source of many other "in the wild" detectable fields:

My alarm clock, which is a cheap Wal*Mart plug-in unit, has a remarkably noisy AC to DC power supply contained within it. One of the main components of this type of supply is a transformer, which changes 120 V (the stuff from my wall socket) to a more manageable voltage (probably 5 to 9 volts.)

They look something like this:Basically, the transformer converts electrical energy into a changing magnetic field then back to electrical energy. To keep things simple I won't go into further detail (wikipedia explains it a lot better anyway,) but the interesting bit is the flux leakage. See, ideally the magnetic field would be completely contained within the core of the transformer but in reality, transformers partially leak some of the changing magnetic field. This field loops outside through the air and in the case of very inefficient transformers, this flux leakage can be quite significant..

A graphic depicting flux leakage (source: wikipedia).

This kind of leakage is prevalent in our modern environment, and will likely be the source of further discoveries. I have begun exploring things around me in a new light, trying out my new sense.

One week after installation: xray!

So it's been one week since I received my magnetic implant. Healing has progressed rapidly, and by next week I expect the surface skin to be healed completely. A good friend of mine who happens to be an xray technician hooked me up with some cool images of my finger!

These are top down views, so it's as if you are looking through the back of my hand. The middle image is with my finger rotated 45 degrees and far right image was rotated 90 degrees. Cool! Here are some closeup shots:

This is the top down view of my right ring finger. The tiny 3mm magnet shows up quite well. You can see the faint outline of a small bandage on the outside of my finger. Here is the side view:


Hopefully soon I will be able to feel magnetic fields!

Healing

I figured I would snap a picture to give an idea of the strength of the magnet. It's just powerful enough to suspend a large paperclip (2" long).

The region around the implant continues to heal. Today the area around the magnet is particularly tender, moreso than since the first day. The region immediately surrounding the implant is slightly discolored, almost bruised looking (as opposed to the entire side of the finger being discolored the past few days.)

The implant

So the implant is in, and my finger is healing. I'll take a step back, as I never went in to the size, shape, and appearance of the magnet that I had implanted. The magnet was one of several samples that I received from a scientific supply company, and was designed as a magnetic stir element (a little disc that would be in a test tube on top of a magnetic stirring machine.) The dimensions are roughly 3.5 mm in diameter by .6 mm thick, with a Parylene C coating of about .05 mm.

The magnet on top of a dime.

While it looks like a plain old magnet, it is actually coated with a transparent layer of Parylene C, which acts as a biocompatible barrier that protects the magnet, and in turn my finger. Since the magnets are specifically designed to rotate under influence of other rotating magnets, I think that they are particularly well suited. Additionally, since there is no silicone sheath, there is no soft buffer to dampen vibration between the magnet and the surrounding tissue.

As far as I know I am the first to receive a Parylene coated magnet like this one, so the next few weeks/months will tell if it is viable. Part of me is a tiny bit paranoid that the coating was compromised in shipping, or during implantation. Such defects would not be visible to the naked eye, or most conventional optics. Since I didn't have an electron microscope handy I'll just have to trust that the coating was intact.

As far as healing goes, things appear to be going very well. It's been four days since the implantation and the incision has almost completely healed. The area of skin above the magnet is still slightly discolored, but is no longer painful to the touch. Yesterday I noticed a dull pain in my tendon, extending all the way up my forearm. It quickly subsided and has not returned.

I can't wait until it heals completely!