MicroCHIPS, a company from Lexington, Massachusetts, has developed a remote-controlled computer chip that could be soon used for contraception. Implanted under the skin and activated by a wireless remote, the chip could prevent pregnancies for up to 16 years by releasing a daily supply of levonorgestrel. The purpose of the chip would be to avoid necessary trips to the clinic for more birth control. Additionally, its remote-control feature eliminates most of the third-party interactions that other hormonal implants require. If the female decided to deactivate the implant, she could do so electronically by the press of a button. This device would provide pregnancy protection longer than the NHS, which lasts three years, and the IUD, which vary from 5-10 years.

Development of the chip has been backed by Bill Gates since the idea originated two years ago. Researchers are still working on how to encrypt the chips, and pre-clinical testing should begin 2015. Designed to be implanted in the upper arm, buttocks, or abdomen, the the tiny device could easily sit at the tip of your finger. It measures 20 x 20 x 7 millimeters, and within its 1.5cm-wide reservoir delivers a daily dose of 30 micrograms (mgs) of the hormone levonorgestrel, a fairly common ingredient in several forms of birth control. The reservoirs are covered with a hermetic titanium and platinum seal.

There is certainly a convenience factor in the ability to switch on and off your own birth control. Simon Karger, head of surgical and interventional business at Cambridge Consultants, said he could “foresee a future in which a huge range of conditions are through smart implanted systems”. The reservoir can store any drug and release it on demand, or have a a preprogrammed schedule for releasing a drug. MicroCHIPS has successfully tested this technology in a human clinical trial where osteoporosis medication was delivered to post-menopausal women for a month. The procedure ran 30 minutes using a local anesthetic, and there was no adverse immune reaction.