02.12.2025 09:15
A magician and molecular biologist living in Missouri, USA, Zi Teng Wang, found himself unable to access the technology embedded in his body after forgetting the password for the RFID microchip he had implanted in his hand for stage performances. Wang's situation highlights the hidden risks associated with technologies implanted in the body.
A magician and molecular biologist living in Missouri, USA, is facing an interesting problem due to a microchip he implanted in his hand for entertainment purposes years ago. Zi Teng Wang, known by his stage name "Zi the Mentalist," announced in a Facebook post that he forgot the password for the chip and therefore cannot access the technology in his own body. Wang also included an X-ray image showing the microchip located between his thumb and index finger in his post.
"I AM LIVING IN A SMALL CYBERPUNK DYSTOPIA"
Wang humorously described his situation in his post, stating, "I am living in a small cyberpunk dystopia caused entirely by my own mistake." The incident has also brought back to the forefront the rarely discussed risks of implantable technologies. Access to these technologies can be completely lost in cases such as company closures, products being discontinued, or users forgetting their passwords.
HE HAD IT IMPLANTED FOR A MAGIC TRICK
Wang mentioned that he implanted this small device, known as an RFID, in his hand years ago for use in stage performances. He designed the effect, triggered by audience members bringing their phones close to his hand, as a "mysterious" illusion. However, the need for audience members to repeatedly press their phones against his hand did not create the magical effect he expected. Moreover, many people's phones did not even have an active RFID reader. Using his own phone caused the number to lose all its effect.
After not achieving the desired results in his shows, Wang later reprogrammed the chip to redirect to a Bitcoin address and linked it to a meme image on Imgur. However, a few years ago, after the Imgur link crashed, he wanted to reprogram the chip again. This is when the real problem arose: he had completely forgotten the password.
WHAT IS RFID TECHNOLOGY?
RFID is known as a system that automatically identifies objects through radio waves. It consists of three basic components:
RFID tag: Contains a chip and an antenna. It can be implanted in the human body using a syringe-like tool. Most tags do not contain batteries and operate with the electromagnetic field from the reader. It is used in various fields, from market products to building entry cards, from warehouse tracking to pet chips.
RFID reader: Sends a radio signal to the tag and collects the returned data.
Data system: Processes and interprets the information received from the reader.
Zi Teng Wang's unfortunate experience once again highlighted the risks associated with increasingly common implant technologies, including user error.