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Even later latest.
http://www.sundayherald.com/27519
Kidnap chip 'untested' and may not work
'Cyborg' scientist denies publicity stunt as he admits tracking implant may not proceed without ethical approval
By Stephen Naysmith Science Correspondent
The scientist who gained world wide publicity for his plan to implant a
tracking device in a schoolgirl's arm in the wake of the Soham killings has admitted he has not tried the technology and cannot guarantee it works.
Other experts in mobile telecommunication do not believe any such tracking device exists.
Controversial cybernetics professor Kevin Warwick, whose media affairs are now handled by a public relations company which charges newspapers to speak to him, has admitted to the Sunday Herald that the implant may never go ahead.
Worldwide headlines last week trumpeted Warwick's announcement that he was poised to implant a microchip in the arm of 11-year-old Danielle Duval.
Details were sketchy, but Warwick said the chip would let parents track a child even if he or she had been abducted.
He conceded yesterday, however, that he does not have ethical approval to proceed, but denied that the announcement was a publicity stunt.
Earlier this year Warwick implanted a sensor array in his arm to record and transmit signals from his nerves. Now he wants to fit a 'tracker' implant to Danielle, implanting it in her arm or her stomach.
Warwick suggested there were 'several options', including the mobile phone network and the global positioning satellite (GPS) system, for locating the girl were she to go missing.
The story was enthusiastically reported around the world. Sceptics,
however, have queried whether the technology exists to miniaturise the
transmitter while giving it enough power to work with the mobile phone or GPS system.
Mobiles and GPS devices need batteries for computing and signalling power.
They also need aerials. The device could not simply replicate the chips
used to tag domestic pets, as these are usually inert -- enabling
identification only once an animal is located. Other devices used for
tracking animals are not small enough to be implanted.
Warwick says his one-inch-long transmitter would stay largely in 'sleep' mode and send a signal only when activated. 'It could be switched off when it wasn't needed,' he says.
Dr James Irvine, an expert in mobile telecommunications at Strathclyde
University's electrical and electronic engineering department, said it was theoretically possible to locate someone using mobile phone base stations or the GPS system.
He said: 'The difficulty is, you would need to upgrade the mobile phone
network to allow that to happen. It is not there at the moment.
'The GPS system can have very good accuracy but doesn't work well indoors.
'Companies are now promoting a device the size of a large wristwatch which can do this, but you would have problems getting power to an implant.'
Even a passive system would need power and battery life would limit its
usefulness. 'You are talking about tens of hours rather than years,' Dr
Irvine said.
He added: 'In an abduction, I hope the abductors wouldn't see you had an implant, because the consequence of that would surely be more serious. I wouldn't say this is impossible, but I do doubt whether it is practical.
'Of course if you were just looking for publicity, you'd only need it to be possible.'
At the sea mammals research unit of the University of St Andrews, senior research scientist Bernie McConnell is developing a system for tracking the movements of seals using GPS. His device has a volume of five cubic inches - -- small but not implantable.
'I'm not aware of any implantable systems,' said McConnell, 'especially not ones which would last for months at a time. Such a transmitter would be incredibly useful and exciting, but I doubt it can be done.'
Critics also say research data could be gathered without subjecting a child to surgery with no medical benefit.
Dr Andrew Herxheimer, an expert on medical ethics and fellow at the
Cochrane Centre for interventions in health care, said: 'This is linked to the fear of abduction which is a very small risk, and could be seen as exploiting a distorted and unreal fear. It should be tried out on animals. This is not a case of women and children first.'
Reading University's guidelines require any experimental procedure on a
human subject to be approved by its ethical committees. Professor Warwick has not sought such approval .
The implant story was promoted not by the university, but by INS News Group of Reading, which wanted to charge the Sunday Herald £75 to speak to Professor Warwick for 10 minutes.
We were told: 'He's working with us. Everyone involved is signed up with us. A lot of people have been happy to pay.'
A Reading University spokeswoman initially referred calls to INS, but later admitted: 'We didn't know anything about this. Our understanding is he has not yet put in for ethical approval because he isn't ready to do it.'
Warwick has pledged to perform the implant on Danielle before Christmas if he can get ethical approval. He said part of his goal was to 'provoke debate' on a technology which 'raised enormous ethical questions'.
He declined to elaborate on the technical details. 'I'm not trying to come up with some academic paper that will win me the Nobel prize. I'm trying to address the needs of concerned parents,' he said.
'I'm not going to tell you whether we have a prototype. There are
commercial interests involved. 'Until Danielle is implanted we are not
going to have a test case. When that happens we will see how it works.'
Regarding the arrangement with the news agency, he said: 'I don't receive any fee from INS and I don't receive a fee from the university for this.'
He was not exploiting public concern over abductions, he said. 'Before this story broke, I understood some people would say that. I'm not going to step back just because some people might call me names.' |
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