A Helping Hand? Media Mix: Education STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Achieve3000, August 2, 2017). The syringe slides in between the worker's thumb and index finger. With a click, a microchip is injected, and just like that, another on-the-job "cyborg" is created. This isn't taking place on the pages of a dystopian science fiction novel; this isn't The Giver, Brave New World, or Fahrenheit 451. It's happening at the real-life headquarters of Epicenter Stockholm, an office hub for startup companies in Sweden. Since January 2015, Epicenter has implanted willing workers with microchips that are about the size of grains of rice. The implanted chips work like swipe cards; they're used to open doors without inserting keys, operate printers without pushing buttons, and even purchase smoothies without reaching for credit cards. Completing these everyday tasks requires the mere wave of employees' microchipped hands. Having high-tech capabilities within human hands may be fascinating, but the idea isn't new. Such microchips are already often implanted in pets. They can be scanned to provide information if the animals are separated from their owners. Some companies use microchips to track deliveries. However, the technology has never been used to tag employees on a broad scale before. In fact, Epicenter is one of the first companies in the world to make chip implants broadly available in this way. As of April 2017, it had implanted about 150 workers. "The biggest benefit…is convenience," said Patrick Mesterton. Mesterton is Epicenter's cofounder and CEO. "It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether [they] be credit cards or keys." As a demonstration, Mesterton unlocks a door by simply waving his hand near it. The magic that Mesterton seems to demonstrate is made possible by a type of technology known as Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID). It's the same technology in contactless credit cards or smartphone payment apps. When activated by a reader a short distance away, a small amount of d