“Bio-Thermo” implantable tags combining animal ID and temperature measurement are manufactured by Destron Fearing (www.destronfearing.com). The Bio-Thermo tags were originally produced by a company named “Digital Angel” in Delray Beach, FL. The Bio-Thermo tag is covered under a 2006 US Patent No. 7,015,826 “Method and Apparatus for Sensing and Transmitting a Body Characteristic of a Host.”
Digital Angel merged with Veriteq in 2013. VeriTeq owned the IP to Sicel’s implantable dosimeter products. VeriTeq is no longer in the business of selling human or animal ID tags, probably as a result of the outcry by the ignorant populace claiming that implantable RFID chips are “the Mark of the Beast”. Instead, they have reinvented their tags approved for human use as UDI (unique device identifiers) for medical devices. Their website states that they plan to relaunch the implantable radiation dosimeters.
The Bio-Thermo tag is a small (12mm length) “microchip” which offers a unique numerical identity, as well as instantaneous temperature recording accurate to 0.1 degree F or C using its Bio-Thermo™ sensor. Although Bio-Thermo™ is implanted subcutaneously in the shoulder region, the correlation of the temperature with the traditional rectal reading is excellent. Multiple temperature readings can be taken with no stress to the patient, so it is ideal for monitoring temperature after surgery where minimal disturbance is desired. Non-invasive measurements also allow easy monitoring of animal health, wellness, and breeding cycle.
One end of the biocompatible glass encapsulation is covered with a porous polypropylene polymer sheath that is pressure fitted to the microchip to prevent migration of the device within animal tissue. This BioBond® anti-migration cap results in increased retention, by promoting the development of fibrocytes and collagen fibres around the implant. The cellular response inhibits movement of the microchip, enabling it to be easily and quickly located and read at the original implant site.
Besides veterinarians, another group that has become interested in these implantable tags are DIY body Modifiers. Although the tags are not approved for human use, they are popular among hackers who like to keep close tabs on their physiological parameters. The tags can be purchased off-the-shelf from “Dangerous Things” (dangerousthings.com) for $39:
“The xBTi injector assembly contains an FDX-B compliant 2x12mm xBT 134kHz LifeChip with Bio-Thermo technology encased in borosilicate biocompatible glass. This tag contains a simple ID number which works with any FDX-B animal tag reader, and can also report body temperature to a compatible LifeChip reader.”
A popular reader capable of displaying temperature is the Halo xEM/xBT Reader. It sells for $89.00 from Dangerous Things:
“The HALO reader is a great multi-purpose reader that can read a number of LF class (125kHz-134kHz) RFID tags, including FDX-A, FDX-B, our EM41xx family xEM tags, and our Bio-Therm xBT tags. It will even give you the temperature data from out xBT tags right on the LCD screen.”