Safety

Is the x-series MRI compatible?

Yes. Our x-series transponders – such as the xEM (125 kHz), xM1 or xNT (13.56 MHz) – have been successfully tested in MRI scanners with field strengths of 1 T, 1.5 T, and 3 T. While there may be some minor image distortion around the implant site, the transponder itself:

❌ does not heat up
❌ does not get pulled out
❌ and does not explode

If you're scheduled for an MRI and unsure about your implant – don’t worry. Our x-series implants have been tested and certified up to 7 Tesla. You can download the official safety document here or request it directly from us. This can be helpful if your doctor or MRI technician has questions.

Important to know: Nothing actually happens in the MRI. The metal content in our x-series implants is so low that it has no measurable interaction with the magnetic field. The only exception might be if the scan specifically targets the part of the body where the implant is located. In that case, the image may appear blurry or distorted. If clear imaging of that exact spot is critical, removal of the implant may be required – but this is extremely rare.

For a practical demonstration, check out MythBusters – Season 5, Episode 19. A 134 kHz VeriChip was implanted into both a piece of pork and into Kari Byron and scanned in an MRI. Result: no danger, only slight image distortion.

This is also backed by science: This PubMed study shows that RFID transponders remain functional even after exposure to 3 T MRIs:
"Functionality of veterinary identification microchips following low-field (0.5 tesla) and high-field (3 tesla) magnetic resonance imaging"

🔎 For more information, visit MRIsafety.com and look up the VeriChip – a device that is technically very similar to our x-series transponders.

BREAKING TEST UP TO 500N (AT THE LIMIT OF THE TEST MACHINE)

One of the biggest concerns we hear about implants is "What if it breaks?". An understandable question. However, before an implant breaks, bones are more likely to break or tendons to tear. So if there is a lot of pressure on the hand in an accident, the least of your worries should be the clean, sterile implant.

Doctors sometimes even recommend that the implant simply remains under the skin, as it would be more damaging to the tissue if it were removed.

Nevertheless, we decided to push the boundaries to understand how much pressure an implant breaks when it is in the tissue. We decided to carry out three tests:

an implant that is currently on the metal test plate
an implant within two layers of silicone with a similar degree of hardness to human tissue
an implant in 15 different places in several pieces of raw chicken

The "naked" implant, which lay on the metal test plate, broke almost immediately (no wonder). The real surprise was the silicone and tissue tests. Even with a lab-quality crusher that reached 500 Newtons of force, we could not break a single implant that was in silicone or tissue. We even placed markers on chicken bones to see if proximity to bone would cause problems, and still we couldn't get any to break.

Why this stability? Well, the fact is that tissue (or silicone analogue to tissue) stretches, absorbs shocks and generally gives way before the pressure on the glass approaches the breaking point. So bones are more likely to break or tissue to rupture than an implant. And if that were the case, the implant should be the least of your worries.

COLD TEST

We wanted to find out whether the implants could survive the freezing process both structurally and functionally. To do this, we placed an implant in a canister of liquid nitrogen, left it for a few seconds, then removed it and tested it immediately.

Not only was the glass of the implant intact, but the xNT could be read with an NFC smartphone and the data on it was unchanged. So, no problems due to low temperatures.

VACUUM TEST UP TO 0.42 MBAR

In this test, we place an xNT implant in a special laboratory-grade multiphase vacuum freezer and lower the pressure to 0.42 mBar, which corresponds to an extremely high vacuum.

For reference, Mount Everest is 8,848 meters high, and the pressure at the summit is around 300 mBar. To get anywhere near the kind of pressure/vacuum we achieve in the vacuum test, you would have to go into Earth orbit without a space suit.
Even at an altitude of 48 kilometers, the pressure is still around 1.3 mBar. So we believe that our X-Series tags will survive the vacuum of space without breaking. For daily use on earth... more than sufficient.

HEAT TEST

With this test we are trying to find out what happens to an implant when you are in the sauna.

To do this, we tested an xIC implant with a GunBox. We placed an xIC in a piece of raw chicken. The chicken was then placed in the oven and baked at 190°C for 30 minutes. After the oven, the implant was removed and tested with the GunBox, and it still worked!

STERILIZATIONSTEST

We test both the inside and the outside of our implants for complete sterilization.

The outside is important, but the x-series tags also have a small air space inside the glass that is not filled with components or Biosafe epoxy. It is important to also test this air space to make sure it is also sterile, just in case a glass tag ever breaks in a body.

Even if an accidental scratch brings with it many more bacteria and viral infection risks (that's why we get tetanus vaccinations, for example), it's certainly worth the effort that our products are cleanroom-assembled and sterile.

In this test you can see that there is no growth on the dish and there is no mist (bacterial growth) in the test and control tubes, only the positive control tube shows growth (mist).