Birth Control Just Got an Upgrade: It Now Comes with On-Off Switch

A IT startup company in Massachusetts called MicroCHIPS has commenced pre-clinical testing for what appears to be a groundbreaking birth control invention.

It’s for what will be the world’s first-ever remote-controlled contraceptive. The idea for a birth control method that can be switched on and off, and can be used for many years, was actually hatched by Bill Gates in 2012.

Gates visited Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Professor David H. Koch, together with colleagues Michael Cima and John Santini, and they came up with a microchip that serves such a function. 

The microchip is implanted in the upper arm, abdomen, or buttocks, and can last for—get this—up to 16 years. How does it work? The microchip contains the hormone levnorgestrel, already existing in some contraceptives. It releases 30 micrograms of the hormone every day into the woman’s body for 16 years. 

Hold your horses, though, as this high-tech device might also be prone to hacking. The MIT Technology Review noted that the microchip will have to be encrypted to prevent remote hacking. 

The remote-controlled birth control microchip is slated for release in 2018.

Sources: refinery29.com, medicalnewstoday.com, huffingtonpost.com 

Photos from huffingtonpost.com (illustration) and plamenpetkov.com (microchip)