Experience the sensation - without an implant!

Over the weekend, a close friend asked if a magnet could be glued to a finger and yield the same results as an implant. I had quite a few 'reject' coated magnets from shipping damage, so we proceeded to glue them to our fingers with small dabs of superglue.


The result? It works! I placed one on my left ring finger, for comparison to my implant in my right hand in the same location. My friend used his index finger, and we both noticed sensations immediately.

My friend proceeded to run around the house looking for sources of stimulation. He cheerfully reported that he could feel fluorescent light ballasts, motors, transformers, and most everything else I could think to suggest. "It's like I'm getting a small shock!" he said, probing the field around a particularly torquey motor. "Great, now I'm going to have to get one of these implanted!"

In comparison to an implanted magnet, not surprisingly, the sensations are less pronounced, especially the pulling and pushing of permanent magnets. Oscillating fields are very noticeable, but feel "muffled." Overall the sensations are remarkably similar to that felt from an implant, so the experiment was a success.

The glued-on magnets fell off within an hour or two, so unless a more aggressive adhesive is used (which I wouldn't recommend for skin) long term attachment of an external magnet isn't too feasible. I'll be trying more experiments as well; my friend suggested attachment to the fingernail, which could produce some interesting results.

So if you would like a taste of the sensations a magnetic implant has to offer, grab a bit of superglue, some tiny (but strong) magnets, and try it out!

A trip to the ER - no MRIs with a magnet in your finger

A common question I get asked is "What if you have to get an MRI?" I almost found out the hard way. Following a heavy New Year's Eve celebration, I had abdominal pain. Not out of the ordinary, but in the two days following it worsened and I felt it was time to see a doctor. I went to an emergency clinic, where after a quick examination I was told "You need to go to the ER and get an MRI."

I immediately thought of my implant and asked the doctor if she would be able to remove a foreign body (i.e. the implant) if need be. She believed that it could be shielded, but I would have to ask the imaging technicians at the ER.

Several hours later I found myself getting a CAT scan of my abdomen, which was completely unaffected by the implant. The ER doctors said that an MRI would only be necessary if more detailed imaging were needed. They also said, however, that there was no way to shield the magnet in my finger from the scan, and that it's presence would make an MRI impossible. (The door to the MRI area even plainly stated "NO METALLIC IMPLANTS.")

Eventually I was cleared, given an industrial strength laxative and a clean bill of health, but the experience opened my eyes to some serious situations. What if I had needed an MRI? Would they have been able to quickly remove the implant? What if it had been a time-critical emergency, and I were unconscious? Could having an implant ultimately endanger my life by preventing doctors from acting quickly? What would happen if I were exposed to the machine without removing the implant - would it be torn from my finger or forcefully dragged through tissue?

There are definitely some serious issues that come with a magnetic implant. Don't forget others are in the same boat though, whether through joint replacement surgery or metallic shrapnel, or even an artificial heart. So if you are seriously considering getting a magnetic implant, be sure to weigh and prepare for the possible consequences.

G1: my Google phone tells me when it's transmitting

I was an early adopter of the G1, and since the day I began using it I noticed a dim pulsing sensation through my implant while holding the phone a certain way. This morning I finally got the location down, and was able to produce the phenomena repeatably by sending messages, web browsing and panning around on Google maps.

The little yellow dot shows the approximate location of my implant, and the red circle shows where the sensations are strongest.

To be honest, I have no idea what is causing a pulsing magnetic field during data transmission. The antenna is in close proximity, but the sensations directly over it are much less pronounced than other areas. Also, transmitting antennas produce electromagnetic waves (which don't wiggle magnets) - not magnetic fields. Perhaps the EM is inducing a magnetic field in the nearby speaker (directly above the red region in the picture.) Regardless, it's kind of cool to feel the 'packets' or 'data bursts' or whatever and seeing how the little send/receive display syncs up with what's actually going on.

Welding

While working on a frame for the arcade machine, I noticed that I could not only feel the transformer inside the main unit from quite a distance, but also felt through the MIG gun itself. Depending on how well I was laying the bead, the sensation intensified and changed. This is the first good example I have come across for an implant giving an occupational advantage: a welder could use their magnetic sense to give them information about the quality of their weld. With practice, I'm certain I could use the sense to help adjust the heat and wire feed speed to an ideal setting and tell if the bead was laying smoothly.

The sensations become a sense

In the past few months I have made a sort of transition. At first, the sensations I felt were foreign and new. I would feel a buzz from a dc adapter and think "woah! It buzzes!" As of late, though, I have found that I increasingly recognize specific sensations, and can feel subtle variations. This transition has been like the difference between feeling a surface with latex gloves, then with bare skin: I can feel the texture of a field. The field from the power supply inside my alarm clock feels smooth and clean. The DC adapter for my electric razor feels gritty. I found a long lost hard drive magnet under the couch without ever seeing or touching it... I sensed it, even knew which pole was facing my finger!

While technically this ability is an extension of touch, the human perception makes it more than that. A magnetic implant gives the human body the ability to detect and quantify what would otherwise be intangible. Truly, it is a sixth sense.

Finger is better, way to go Parylene coating!

My smashed finger injury has gotten much, much better. The area doesn't feel quite back to normal, but has the familiar "almost healed" feeling to it. It appears the implant survived a pretty hard test, which is one more victory for Parylene coating.

I will say this, though I have said it before. This is a very experimental procedure in which you are implanting an object in to yourself that could potentially be harmful. These magnets are not designed originally for implantation. While you can take every precaution to handle and install them correctly, there is a definite possibility of a compromised coating, and you may be forced to remove fragments of magnet from your finger, or worse. These are risks that myself and the others that have tried have understood from the beginning.

That being said, I think that this is a body modification that has been on the verge of explosion for quite awhile. Purpose-made parylene coated magnets and implantation tools could make this procedure accessible to many, and just may encourage others to find ways to give humans more sensory perception through body modification.

Smashed finger

It was bound to happen eventually. I'm generally a hands-on person, and as such often find myself working with power tools, in tight engine compartments, etc. I figured that eventually I would accidentally stress the implant while bending metal or opening a stuck valve... it finally happened unexpectedly while tapping a keg of beer.

I have a small "keggerator" (a self contained beer chilling and dispensing device) that I am in the process of transforming into a MAME cabinet. While connecting a newly purchased 5 gallon keg of Fat Tire I rotated the keg tap and quickly pushed it down - in order to prevent the pressurized spray of beverage that escapes if you do it too slowly. In what would be a "worst case" scenario, the tip of my right ring finger was pinched between the handle and the keg edge, rotating and crushing it.

Immediately I knew that I had disturbed the implant. My finger throbbed as I prodded the area gently. A small circular area of red appeared near the magnet, like a pocket of blood beneath the surface. I knew that there was nothing I could do about the injury, so I waited. After a few days the implant seems like it has re-healed. It's a bit tender to the touch but full sensitivity has returned. Only time will tell if the Parylene coating was compromised, but at this point it seems just fine. I'm quite certain that had I opted for a silicone dipped implant, it would have met its demise.

It's still too early for me to condone going out and implanting Parylene coated magnets into people's fingers, but if the implant survives incidents like this one I can see this becoming very viable, very soon.

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!