Seen At 11: These Microchips Are Implanted Into Your Hand To Replace Keys, Passwords

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- It's common practice to microchip our pets for their safety, but now humans are getting chipped too.

It's a science-fiction scenario that's come to life as chip implants are becoming the ultimate body hack, CBS2's Kristine Johnson reported.

It's just a touch of the hand that lets Tim Shank into his home. Krissy Heishman simply swipes her hand instead of a key card to get into her office.

Their secret? They both have microchips implanted under their skin.

"It's like a glass bead about the size of a grain of rice," Heishman said.

Shank is about to get his second implant.

"This is an NFC chip, so it's similar to what phones have nowadays where you can tap them," he said.

However, it's not doctors who are implanting these type of chips. Verno is a certified body piercer who's done several of these procedures.

Six stitches later, Shank is chipped.

Implantable chip kits are available online for less than $50. The chips can be used as an alternative to your keys and passwords.

Manufacturers say the chip is safe when implanted correctly, usually inserted between the thumb and forefinger.

However, according to medical ethicist Arthur Caplan, there are still other concerns.

"Biohacking is the future, there's no doubt about it. The question is, are we going have rules? Are there going to be protections or is going to be a freewheeling laissez-faire marketplace?" he said.

He said aside from health considerations for the procedure, and having a foreign object under your skin, questions about privacy and safety have to be considered.

"Somebody could hack their way into these devices, maybe compel behavior that you don't want to do, maybe send false information in there about circumstances or health problems that don't really exist," he said.

Shank and his friends say the benefits outweigh the risks and they look forward to an expanding role for implanted chips in the future.

"I'm hoping that this will make it possible for me not to have to carry a wallet or credit cards or keys," he said.

Experts are looking at enhanced medical applications for implanted chips and uses for everything from GPS to even weather notifications. However, it's still an unregulated industry and hacking is a big concern.