My Experience Biohacking

Biohacking is a term that has unfortunately become entangled with tabloid tips, TikTok health trends, and pseudo’science’. However, beneath this surface noise exists dedicated communities exploring the frontiers of human enhancement through do-it-yourself cybernetics, biochemistry, and body modifications. Communities driven by interests in transhumanism and an alignment with the hacker ethos that push boundaries in ways that extend far beyond the conventional ear piercing.

Among the many bleeding-edge modifications that have come about in recent years, magnet implants stood out to me as perhaps the most intriguing, so I went about getting one.

Why?

As my grandmother has taken to asking me, “But why is it necessary?”. Well, it obviously isn’t strictly necessary, but it is cool as heck. There are two main benefits that can be sourced from a magnet implant: sensing and lifting.

Lifting is the easiest to understand. Magnets stick to ferrous objects, and thus ferrous objects can be lifted. As magnetic field strength decreases inversely with the cube of the distance from the magnet’s centre, and flesh has thickness, ¹ the lifting ability of subdermal implants is limited.

Sensing is a bit more complex of a concept to convey. By placing a magnet in a nerve-heavy location (such as the hand), you can gain a quite literal sixth sense – the ability to feel magnetic fields.

My Experience

I first heard of magnet implants years ago and very much wished to pursue getting one of my own. I researched the process and queried those with experience in the now-defunct biohack.me forums, but being a minor and considering all the catches that come with it, didn’t pursue the process at the time.

Once I turned 18, I again looked into it. Things in the scene had changed a bit in the intervening years. The Titan, which is the magnet I was initially interested in, was discontinued as part of a redesign, and community-advised implantation locations had been revised.

After a bit of research, the xG3 came out on top as the best (and one of the only) market offerings. The xG3 originally came in two varieties: the v1 (axially magnetised) and v2 (diametrically magnetised) – v1 being best for sensing and v2 best for lifting, though reported failures led to the v1 being discontinued, leaving the v2 as the reasonable choice. To better understand its dimensions, I 3D printed an analogue using the STL files provided on Dangerous Things’ site. Certainly a tad freaky sizing up placements on my hand and knowing that the real thing will eventually be in there…

The Procedure

I got in contact with the Dangerous Things partner closest to me and booked in a consultation.

I couldn’t have ended up at a better piercer. The staff were fantastic, and my piecer ran me through the steps and process. I had already looked into placement and had my eye on position 0, between my thumb and pointer. ²

When I mentioned this to my piercer, he advised against that position due to the ergonomics (try bending your arm round so the back of your hand can pick up a screw on a table) and instead proposed a placement on the knife’s edge (the fleshy bit down the side of your hand between your pinky and wrist). This fleshy placement also protects it in a position away from bone, meaning that in the event of trauma, it’s less likely to be damaged.

Checking I was comfortable, he asked me to close my eyes and touched three points along the knife’s edge, asking me to rate which position had the most sensation to identify where would be best for getting the most of the sensing capabilities. We ended up identifying a position close to the pinky where I felt it best.

I waited a few weeks post consult so I could align getting the implant with my school break to avoid impacting my education and ended up getting it on the 19th of September, 2024. I made sure to eat beforehand and went into the wonderfully decorated studio (they’ve got knickknacks of all varieties).

After a bit of a wait and the signing of a waiver, I was called in. The room was cleaned and a bench was set up. My piercer ran me through every step and action they were taking as they got ready. My hand was wiped down with iodine to sterilise it, the needle was lubed, and he checked that I hadn’t had a piercing before. I answered no, so he advised that I’m probably best not to watch as he does it, but he did call someone over to film the process for my later viewing pleasure.

It hurt a little bit, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it might look, and I was comfortable during the entire process. After removing the needle, he palpated the area to show the little magnetic capsule sitting under my skin, remarked how little I was bleeding, and applied the necessary dressings. Then he gave me a bag of medical goodies to use for redressing it, billed me, and sent me on my way. The entire process probably took about half an hour – including waiting – and in terms of cost, it came to $240 AUD for the xG3 v2 (which they already had on hand) and installation.

Healing

Upon leaving, the wound bled for a bit and soaked through some of the bandages. I must have looked like a bit of a sight at the bus stop…

That night, and for several proceeding the implant, I made sure to sleep with it ever so subtly elevated and kept it on top of my doonah. Though it is beneficial to elevate limbs during the healing process, the main benefit of this was preventing me from rolling into some odd position and tearing off the dressings, injuring myself, or pushing out the magnet.

As it heals, there is a tendency for the body to try push out any foreign objects. While that behaviour is generally great, I didn’t want it to push out the foreign object in this case, so I secured the area with steri-strips to prevent movement.

Every morning after waking up, I’d take the time to remove the patches and steri-strips, wipe down the area (initially with sanitised wipes, but later just with a damp paper towel once I ran out of them), and then reapply everything. I also spent much of the first few days keeping my hand very rigid. This perhaps wasn’t absolutely necessary, but it was done in an effort to help healing and avoid migration.

On day two, I stuck a tiny needle to it, much to my amusement.

On day four, I noticed the area noticeably had begun to swell. It also turned a bruised yellow-green colour, but in the days following it proceeded to dissipate, and it was greatly reduced by day 6.

Come the 26th (day 8), the bruise had reduced to a subtle yellow tinge. The next day, it hurt a little bit for the first time since implantation. I can best describe it as a slight tightness, but it was nothing too bad.

Come October first (day 13), the scab fell off, and the bruise visibly presented a little bit worse. Likely because I had started sticking paperclips to it. By the 6th I was comfortably sticking my metal tweezers to it, and by the 14th I was playing with it using other magnets (although taking great care).

It’s widely advised that you wait a few weeks before you start using it, and that it can take a few months to completely settle in. There were a few points during healing where I did somewhat question if there really was a magnet in my hand, and it was always surreal when I sensed something or proved its presence to myself by picking up a small ferrous something.

I was pretty happy with the healing process, although I don’t think I needed the Hirudoid Cream that I purchased. I used it, and it might have helped, but it realistically was an unnecessary extra cost that ultimately failed to prevent bruising or swelling.

Despite the steri-strips, my magnet did end up migrating a bit. It ultimately ended up moving a centimetre and a half or so and finally settled about a centimetre from the needle insertion point, although the opening had closed by the time it made its way down there. I’d obviously have preferred it stayed at the selected implantation site, but the body tends to naturally settle things where they’re best off being.

The needle insertion point has left a small scar that has been fading, but I doubt will dissipate completely.

Experiences

I’ve already talked about picking up paperclips, but that is a great joy. You can get a good trail going that dangles from your hand and follows it around almost like a snake if you guide it along a table. I tend to keep paperclips in my pocket now because they’re such a good showcase and so expendable, making it a no-stress scenario should one be lost. Of course, I can also clip them to things to allow lifting or manipulating them. For example, I can make it look like a bank note is dangling directly from my hand if I position things correctly to hide the paperclip. Magic.

As for sensing, the first time I truly felt something was when I passed my hand over my laptop charger. My laptop was almost dead and pulling a charge, and I felt it. I can best describe the sensation as fluttering. Imagine the sensation of somebody blowing on your hand, but feeling it slightly under your skin. It’s certainly an odd feeling.

As time has gone on, I consciously feel this sensation less and am just aware of it. I suppose that’s testament to the plasticity of the human brain in that I’ve switched from consciously feeling it to naturally interpreting it as a sense, like I would taste.

When the laptop is low and pulling a current, the fluttering is strong. As it charges, the fluttering slowly dissipates until I can’t sense it at all when fully charged. This makes it possible to gauge the approximate charge of my laptop (and other devices) without turning them on or needing to open the lid. I can also sense when a microwave is on, as they provide quite the strong sensation.

Still on the topic of my laptop, I can lock and unlock it with a wave of my hand over the magnetic lid sensor. This is particularly handy for subtly disabling it when someone is looking over my shoulder or I don’t want it to make a sound.

I can also manipulate compasses, both physical ones and the virtual one on my phone. In fact, using Phyphox, I can get raw magnetometer readings in a graph view and manipulate it by moving my hand back and forth.

It’s worth noting I do take a bit of care when playing with other magnets. Standard ferrous objects are fine, but other magnets can really pull. Putting another magnet near mine pulls the skin, which looks really weird. It certainly conjures up thoughts of a Xenomorph bursting out of somebody’s chest (though it’d have to be really strong to merit that effect). If one doesn’t take care, though, it can pull really quickly and pinch the skin or break the bioglass in which the magnet is encapsulated. Neither are ideal for obvious reasons. Leaving a magnet pinching the skin for an extended period can also cause necrosis of the area, which should obviously be avoided.

The flesh surrounding the magnet doesn’t directly attach but instead forms a pocket of sorts in which the magnet can freely move. Pushing against the edges of the pocket is how sensing is achieved. Getting near a really big magnet – or even one of a moderate size, like those that hold a door/gate or that release magnetic security tags – can swiftly rotate the magnet within its pocket, which feels rather nauseating.

Mid-December, I noticed the magnet became stronger. Objects that I previously could not pick up, including cutlery and scissors, became manageable – provided there was sufficient surface area and my hands weren’t sweaty. I’m not quite certain what caused this. Perhaps it’s migrated closer to the surface? I’m unsure.

One thing I didn’t expect is that I’m conscious of it being inside me. I don’t know if it’s completely psychological and I’m duping myself into feeling it whenever I’m trying to decide if I can feel it. I would almost have expected my brain to treat it the same as other body parts. It feels like part of me, but at the same time, I can feel there is something in my hand that isn’t strictly ‘me’.

Frequently Asked Questions

As you’d expect, I’ve been asked a lot of questions about my magnet. ³ Most of the questions you may think to ask are already covered by Dangerous Thing’s X-Series Implantable Transponder FAQ, but I’ll cover some more here.

Will it set off metal detectors?

Apparently not, but I will be testing this when I travel internationally later this year.

Are you going to get more?

More magnets? Almost certainly not. As wonderful as it would be, the most likely reason I’d have to have my magnet removed is because of MRIs or other such medical procedures. Adding more would make the removal more of an ordeal, and I’m not certain I’m on board with that potential risk and inconvenience.

More body mods? Most likely in the future. If I ever find myself in frequent interaction with an RFID/NFC access control system, I’d consider some form of short field communication chip. I’d also really like a payment chip, though they aren’t feasible in Australia currently, and when they are, I’d fear of technological innovation leaving me with an obsolete implant that I’d have to get removed.

I must say, I would find something quite comical about being able to say, “My hand has 1 kB of user-writable memory” in total seriousness, though.

How do you get it out?

Hopefully without much difficulty. Eventually, it will need to come out. This’ll probably be because it’s failed, been broken, or because I need an MRI.

Removing it is as ‘simple’ as finding a professional who can make a small incision and use another magnet to pull it out. The bioglass it’s coated with should allow it to slide right out, unlike some of the coatings used on pet microchips, which can be quite grippy.

How much can you lift?

Assuming that I’m not sweaty, I can quite easily pick up cutlery or a set of scissors. That is about the extent of my lifting capabilities, though. Anything beyond that tends to slide off, though I can sometimes manage to drag or slide slightly heavier things around on a table or surface.

Do things get stuck to it?

Not really. Field falloff makes certain that it isn’t strong enough to attract things from a far distance, so I have to put my hand right near a collection of iron filings or rust bits for it to pick them up. Once they’re within the field, though, they tend to stick pretty well, and I have had to wipe off small bits of rust. It’s worth taking care around iron filings, as they tend to have rather sharp serrated edges that you ideally don’t want poking into your skin – especially not in a position you chose for its superior sensation.

Footnotes

1. The exact thickness depends on how deeply deposited the magnet is within the tissue. Ideally, it’ll be close to the surface, but due to potential imperfect installation and migration during healing, this doesn’t always end up being the case. ↩

2. There is a general naming guide for the placement of implants within the hand. ↩

3. Perhaps most humorously, people who have seen me lifting things, but to whom I haven’t yet explained that I’ve got a subdermal magnet, sometimes ask me if my abilities are because I have high levels of iron in my blood. ↩