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Firefly Tattoos
Comments
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@AlexSmith Just one question? If there is a protective cap covering the needle tip, what is the purpose of the adhesive? I'm sure I'm missing something here, I just figured the cap would keep the implant safely within the injector.
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@trybalwolf The protective cap is there to prevent the needle poking a hole through the sterilization pouch. Which would make it non-sterile and be a danger to stab people handling the package.
The adhesive keeps the implant sitting nicely in the needle, without it it would slide out during shipping and rattle about in the protective cap. Also when it comes time to implant, if there is no adhesive and the needle gets pointed downward the implant could fall out and become non-sterile on the table/ground before it can be implanted. -
@AlexSmith Thanks! Hadn't really considered the possibility of it falling out before it could be implanted.I cannot wait to get my hands on a pair of these. Looking to place them at the base of my deltoid muscles, just about midway down the outside of my upper arms.
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I showed my v1 to someone and they are going to buy a v2 lol
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@ChilliEyeThanks! ... I'm starting to be slightly concerned about how popular these are getting... the batch I made was meant to last over a year...
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i would be very interested in the V2 without parylene
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@AlexSmith any updates? Can't wait to get my hands on one of these!
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I really really want one of these. Considering a green v1 in the nape of my neck (near the C2 vertebra).
Do y'all think this sounds feasible?
Also not sure whether to hold out on the V2 or get a V1 now. :smile:
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@AlexSmith Would it not be possible to start pre-orders on the V2? I really want one and am worried they will all sell out while I am sleeping or something.
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I'm really excited about the V2, and I'm looking forward to them being ready! Have the final needles arrived? Any progress on the caps and adhesive? Any idea when these will be available?
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Atain
Where were the most common places for the V1 to implant?
Since i have a V1 in my left hand between thumb and index finger and want to implant a V2 but have no clue were to implant it - thought about the chest but since i am very skinny it would may not hold there good . -
@Atain I'm thinking of putting one midway down my left forearm on the side facing upwards if the palm is also facing upwards. The skin there is nice and stretchy and, for me at least, very fair.
Of course, I haven't actually done it, so I'm unsure if all the tendons and veins there will present a problem, but I really like the idea from an aesthetic point of view -
@blue88 Since you'll just be going under the skin that far down the arm, there's no risk of your tendons interfering. And if you reference figure 5 in this: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51048162_Clinical_Applications_of_Perforator-Based_Propeller_Flaps_in_Upper_Limb_Soft_Tissue_Reconstruction
you'll see that there shouldn't be any perforators in the area to damage. I'd recommend double checking this by tying your arm off like you would for an IV since there is some variation in individual bodies, but in general that should be safe.You should also consider whether your lifestyle causes regular impacts in that area or not, too. If you do something like skateboarding or martial arts, the forearm may not be the best place for it.
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@countseven Thanks for the material, I'll save that for future reference. I've tied off the arm before to have a look at all the veins near the surface and I've found somewhere I'm happy with that doesn't have any with a margin of about a centimetre either side.
With regards to the lifestyle thing, that was a factor in my decision for the place to put it, and I'm pretty sure it'll be fine. Of course, I'll discuss it with the person doing the implanting before it's done but I don't anticipate any major issues.
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@AlexSmith has enough time passed for a status update? Guessing still waiting on components, or backburnered to something more urgent? ^^
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@AlexSmith Do you have an expected availability date or is the picture all we get for now?
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AAA THAT'S NOT FAIR! ;^;
It's still not orderable... but soon... ~3~
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Ok, I'll the explain a little, the first batch of injectors got lost in shipping :( so I waited for a long time hoping they would eventually arrive, but finally gave up and ordered more. After that it was mostly my own fault because I've been spending all my time on another non-biohacking project, so sorting out the final things like injector caps etc didn't happen in a timely manner, but it has all be solved now. This morning I sterilized and packaged the implants you see in the picture above.
I'll ship them to the distribution warehouse in the US tomorrow, which will take around a week. The only thing I'm waiting on are pictures of the implants in action from @Cassox.
I don't want to give a hard ETA date since I always fail to meet them, and it gives me a bunch of stress when I miss the deadline, but the earliest date they'd be ready to ship from the warehouse is the 25th
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Don't stress, friend... It's really bad for you. >~<
It doesn't need to be a hard ETA, still good to have one. Happily watching, I have learned that the best things in life usually take a little extra time to wait for. And when things take extra time, they end up being well done. '3'
I'm really excited. Thank you for creating these, and associated thanks to all the helpers, known and unknown, who contributed. <3
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@thetarn I don't normally do pre-orders, but don't worry, I have 100 of these, they shouldn't sell out that fast.
@Atain v1 was recommended in the hand since the skin is thin there, but v2 should have more options since it's brighter, but we won't really know how well it works in other locations until people start implanting it.
@blue88 I think that location should be fine, I have an RFID chip there and it has been fine, it's very easy to do the implantation procedure in this location because the skin tends to be quite lose.
@Zerbula thanks, if I was somewhere like SF or SoCal I'd ask for people to help me with packaging as it's quite time consuming to assemble everything, but alas, for now I have to do it all myself.
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Okay, so I’ve recently developed an increased interest in this but have a few questions, I got impatient and only read as far as page 3 before asking, so it may have been answered and I just didn’t see it yet.
Has anyone measured apparent surface coverage for the light as it appears to be emitting from the skin? Like... I figure an 8mm capsule emits light, looks 8 mm in open air, but the skin diffuses the light, spreading it out and making the light emitting surface appear bigger, anyone got measurements to compare with their specific implant size they can share? I do understand it would be a bit different from person to person due to implant specifics and skin composition.
Also, pardon my lack of understanding on this one, about where under the skin does it go? I’ve gathered it’s higher than typical RFID implants, but lower than actual tattoo ink would be.
Last one. What sort of progress has been made with alternate shapes and appropriate coating to reduce shifting? Feasibility of implanting anything bigger than like a centimeter in diameter? I assume you’d need to carefully cut the skin open and stuff it under. Sounds messy. And unpleasant. And not healthy. Again, I’ll be reading more, but got impatient so thought I’d ask.
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Hi @Jupiter, I can answer at least part of your questions.
I have a V1 Firefly in the back of my hand between the first and second metacarpals. The light from the implant forms a fuzzy oval that's about 15mm long by 5.5 mm wide. The oval is shorter than the overall implant because the phosphor inside doesn't extend along the whole implant.
Most people put the RFID implant in the webbing between their thumb and index finger because it's out of the way and well cushioned from impacts. I know that a few people have put the Firefly there as well, but others choose to put it in areas with thinner skin, like the back of the hand.
Alex Smith considered adding some sort of shielding to the V2 to make the light appear in a pattern, but not much interest was expressed, so the idea didn't go further. There was some mention of the V2 being available both with and without anti-migration coating, but I don't know if that will be the case.
As for larger implants, look up the North Star. It was a rather large battery powered LED array that was implanted beneath the back of the hand, but once the battery died it couldn't be recharged and had to be removed. So, people do put in larger implants, but it is messy, and (hopefully) only done by people who really know what they're doing.
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@AlexSmith is your lidocaine kit going to be back in stock any time soon? Because I wanted to buy it with a firefly v2 for implantation when it comes out and want to plan ahead.
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Any idea on a ready for purchase date? I'm in the USA.
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i promised myself i wouldn't , but this v2 looks so damn good... considering getting one implanted by the pros up in tehachapi ;) , whenever it is available if all goes well...
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I'm so excited! I cant stop checking for upates and thinking "any day now..." The anticipation is killing me.
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^ ;~;
They will be ready when they are ready. Patience, everyone. ;~;
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Can't help it, I'm hyped up! Really looking forward to see the "Add to cart" button on the order page.
Where is everyone planning on putting them?
I liked the idea of having mine in my palm but the skin is very thick there. I'm now leaning towards the palm side of my forearm -
@bentpins Same here! I check the websight about 5 times a day. Planning on putting it on the palm side of my left wrist. I'm hoping it will work a little like a flashlight lol.
