Mon, May 13 2002 7:13 PM AEST

People queue up for computer chip implants

Enough VeriChips to contain medical information for 70 people

Eight people will become the first ever to receive computer chip implants, allowing them to be identified by a scanner.

The "chipping" ceremony will be held in the US State of Florida and is being performed by Applied Digital Solutions, a Florida technology company.

The chips, called VeriChip, are rice-grain-sized devices that sit under the skin.

When scanned by a special reader, the chip emits a radio signal that will transmit a code, which is linked to a secured database.

The database, dubbed the Global VeriChip Subscriber (GVS) Registry, holds personal data such as the "chipees" address, phone number and any special medical conditions.

The first eight chipped users will include an Alzheimer's patient, someone with an array of allergies and a man suffering from Hodgkin's disease.

The company says it is in the process of selling chip readers to local hospitals and emergency care facilities, adding the market for such identification devices will top $US15 billion.

Applied Digital says it will field a mobile "chipmobile" to bring the technology to a waiting list of 5,000 people.

A chip implant costs $US200, plus a $US10 monthly fee to be in the database.

The chip is implanted during a simple outpatient procedure in a doctor's office.

The company says it is perfecting a larger, more futuristic unit that will have the ability to detect the users location using global positioning satellites.

The company said the chips will have "a variety of security, emergency and healthcare applications".

The technology has already gained the attention of privacy advocates, which fear a proliferation of electronic tagging devices for the population.