IAmA 24yo electrical engineer with magnets implanted in my fingertips. AMA.

Have you ever reached your hand up to a girl and said, "Hey girl, I'm attracted to you."?

...damn that's good.

Can you play with a Wooly Willie with your fingers?

Haven't tried. I need to go find one.

How do they work?

The magnets move with any moving magnetic field. So if I get close enough to a strong magnetic field, they start to vibrate in my fingertips. I can feel those vibrations. It is a similar feeling to when your fingers tingle after you hit your elbow.

I think this was a joke.

Fucking Miracles.

When you pick up metal objects what happens?

I can't pick up ferrous objects much bigger than a staple. Other magnets on the other hand... man that's fun. Other rare-earth magnets basically just feel like they are super glued to your fingertips. It's dangerous to keep them on for long, because they pinch the blood flow to the area and can cause the skin to die, leading to the rejection of your beloved implant.

Uh.. this actually sounds like a major impediment to life. You sound like you could easily damage (if you haven't already) the tips of your fingers.

If you accidentally put your hand on a large flat ferrous surface (like say a refrigerator), aren't you going to cause some trauma to your fingers when you try to move your hand?

No, they're not strong enough at all to harm the skin of my fingers when in contact with a ferrous surface. Big magnets on the other hand...

I haven't had any troubles in my travels for the last few months. I'm quite concerned about an MRI though.

I believe Frajer was inquiring what would happen if you normally, with your left hand, picked up a metal Object.

OP I think assumed Frajer was inquiring what would happen if OP used the magnets to pick up objects.

I'm guessing when OP picks up metal objects nothing really abnormal happens, except maybe some pressure in those fingertips.

That's pretty much accurate.

Do you now feel like Magneto from X-Men?

I am constantly being called magneto, and that is fucking boss.

Unfortunately, they aren't strong enough to be able to crush cars or pull the iron content of your blood out.

they aren't strong enough.... Yet.

...yet.

Does this affect masturbation in any way?

Not in the least ;)

Have you considered getting an eleventh implant so it DOES affect it?

Awwwwwwww yeaaaaaaa.

No. I don't want anyone cutting into my junk.

Thanks so much for doing this IAMA, I've wanted to do this for a long time, and I think I might up and do it when I move back to LA in the fall. A couple questions that I would love it if you answered:

• I see that you got them done for $120 each in NYC. How did you find the guy to do it, and did he supply the magnets or did you have to?

• Do you have them in the pads of your fingers or to the side? One of my concerns would be not being able to hang from ledges or rock climb if I got them in the pads of my fingers due to irritation or them breaking. Do you notice them when you have a lot of weight on your fingers?

• I know that in the past there were concerns about the magnet manufacturing process leaving thin spots on the coating that would wear through. Have those been addressed/could you tell me more about the improvements since the first experiments with implanted magnets?

• What were the main resources you used for research? I'd love to learn more.

• On a scale of 1 to sex in space, how fucking awesome is it having magnets in your fingers?

-I had them done in Louisville, KY. by a visiting body art modification artist from NYC. He supplied the magnets.

-They are kind of in between. Too much pressure is a slight bit uncomfortable.

-I honestly don't know if that process has been improved. I wanted them so badly that I didn't really care. I'm worth taking the risks for something like this.

-I just googled the hell out of it. Tons of blogs have covered the different coatings and processes.

-I'd place it at a solid 15' Tesla coil hooked up to an electric guitar played by a bear.

Do you have trouble with capacitive-touch displays?

I was pretty concerned that I would, but it hasn't been an issue.

Uh... how much can I have this done for, and where at?!

Both of my implants cost me $120. There are a couple of body modification artists that will do this procedure. Brian Decker from NYC is who did mine when he visited a local body art shop. Steve Haworth is also a well known name. They use different magnets that each have their positive and negative (lulz) qualities. It's really something that you should research thoroughly before you commit.

I imagine that they're not licensed to use anesthetics and this hurt immensely?

Like a sonofabitch. Ice and bourbon helped a good bit though.

Are you serious? You had your fingertips open and magnets implanted without anesthetics?

Like a bawz.

Haha, yeah. My comment may have made me seem a little more excited than I am, not something I am running to have done immediately but I am kind of interested. What have been some side effects (affects?) you have noticed so far, if any?

Side effects implies a negative... I really haven't come across any. I'm quite scared to get an MRI though.

Have you talked with any medical specialists or anything about the topic? If so, have they warned you of anything that could happen, or did you just do some research for yourself before you had it done?

No, but I'm aware of the things that could go wrong.

A rejection could lead to a rather serious infection that could eventually cause the loss of a digit or my hand if it gets out of hand. If the coating on the magnet were to get scratched (HIGHLY unlikely), the magnet would start to rust... and that would lead to no good. If I get an MRI, there is a possibility of something unpleasant happening.

Honestly, there is a lot that could go wrong. Thankfully, Brian Decker is an amazing body modification professional that took all the steps necessary to prevent infection, or rejection. Things could still go wrong, but I've had them for seven months and I've had no problems.

gets out of hand

I see what you did there.

;)

Do you have any problems going through airport security? As in, the TSA notices something odd or the metal detector going off? Do you have any problems going through their scanners?

Shouldn't be an issue, but I haven't been flying in over a year.

I got one a few weeks ago, and flew to Canada a week later. The TSA stopped me both ways over my toothpaste, but nobody noticed my magnet, in either the metal detector or the backscatter x-ray.

edit: while this comment is getting views, here's a link to a scientific paper explaining the entire procedure.

Fucking hilarious.

Okay, I'll ask the obvious, how has your life changed?

I'm constantly being surprised by the strength of a field. Turning on a blender or plugging in a laptop power supply can throw me for a loop.

When I first got the implants, I plugged in my power supply on my laptop while holding the brick with the magnetized hand. I threw the brick as soon as it powered up because I thought I was getting shocked.

What does it feel like? Does it just tug on your fingertips? Does a strong AC field make it 'buzz'?

Pretty much just a buzz. It's a similar feeling to when your fingertips go numb after hitting your elbow.

[deleted]

It responds to moving magnetic fields. If the polarity is being rapidly changed, then it is the pushing and pulling that causes them to "buzz". They just aren't strong enough to pull my hand anywhere.

So does DC feel different to AC?

DC feels like it is tugging. AC feels like it is wiggling.

Since I'm pretty ignorant on these sorts of things:

Are the magnetic fields largely confined to the power supply, or should I be concerned that I'll be feeling that sensation anytime I use my laptop?

Largely focused around the power supply itself. I can really only feel the fan on my laptop, and that's only when my hand is on the underside of it.

Do you feel the earth's magnetic field?

No. I really wish they were that strong. Maybe my fingers just aren't sensitive enough yet. Having a built in compass would be rather useful though.

How do you know if you feel it or not? I assume you've never been in space so maybe the earth is only your reference value and "not feeling anything" is the feeling you're used to..

Mind = Blown.

Do you find that you get shocked more from static, and does the shock intensify? Or are you able to avoid it more often?

I really haven't noticed a change.

Brother!! This is my AMA from a couple days ago:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Cyberpunk/comments/tf5wi/ama_about_my_magnetic_finger_implants/

We're already super attracted to each other! If you're ever in NYC, lets run around poking lamp posts and lifting paperclips together

That's fucking awesome! Are your's working out for you? Did Brian do your implants? Unfortunately I'm in Louisville, KY.

Mine are great, I love them. I got 1/4" ones.. the down sides are a little higher than yours I think. I'm more delicate that I was before. I can feel an empty microwave on high from 22". Honestly, I don't really think I need to have that sort of range.. but I love it anyway :)

I'm struggling with the math on what gauss strength I have. I estimate it at 450 gauss units assuming an 1/8" air gap.. as I don't think scar tissue and flesh would effect a field any more than air.

Next project is building a glove with a sonar module, arduino, and coils up my fingers. With the goal of navigating the house while blind. Thoughts?

That's a strong ass implant!

And a cool sounding project. God speed!

What do these fields feel/look like? Also, do you think there is such a thing as taking your job too seriously?

Different magnetic fields have different signatures. A switch-mode power supply feels like a buzzing or a tingling. It's similar to the feeling you get in your fingertips when you hit your elbow. A big motor feels more like a pulsing when it's operating. I'm still having fun just wandering around and waving my hands at things.

As far as taking your job too seriously; ABSOLUTELY! Thankfully, I don't. Engineering is my passion. I've wanted to be an electrical engineer for as long as I can remember. I love the process of coming up with an idea and seeing it manifest into a final product. I did it for myself more than my career.

Can you feel different signals in wires? Would an audio signal create a sensation varying with the intensity of the sound?

I am a Computer Engineer and a musician, and I've heard about this before and find it really interesting.

Edit: Also, is the sensation precise enough and sensitive enough to perceive electrical activity in microchips?

Absolutely! A 120V AC line has a very different feeling to a speaker cable. Voice coils themselves have a pretty neat feeling. You can pretty clearly feel the changing fields with the music.

Here's one,

Are you getting tired of all the people asking the same questions over and over again?? Wow. I sometimes wish people would read, just a little.

I swear. One more MRI question and I'm done.

How do you cope with the fear of a MRI scan?

By not getting one.

i can't believe no one has asked yet.

CAN YOU FEEL GHOSTS NOW?!

I see dead people...

How strong are the magnets?

According to my cellphone's highly inaccurate magnetometer, ~600uT.

I have no idea, how strong that really is. Do they hold nails up or are they strong enough to erase a hard drive or something?

Eh, about strong enough to hold up a staple. It's not enough to wipe a disc at all.

Not that much, but awesome, though. Did you have any trouble with the magnets until now?

I didn't really get them for the lifting potential. It's more the sixth sense aspect that tickles my fancy. No troubles yet!

This is very cool but why did you do it and what are the most prominent benefits and downsides of having had this procedure.

I did it because it gives me a sixth sense. I can feel fields that I wouldn't know were present before. My main reasoning is due to my profession. I'm going to be able to get a substantial amount of mileage out of the ability to "see" a magnetic field when I'm troubleshooting a wonky power supply or a motor that isn't correctly functioning.

Recently, I was able to troubleshoot a bad fuel injector in a car. That was pretty neat.

I haven't found many downsides, other than the crippling terror of what might happen if I get an MRI. The pain sucked for the first week, and was still kind of tender a couple more after that. Other than that, I haven't had any downsides to report :)

Related question:

1. How bad was the pain the first week? Sharp, dull, intense?

Unrelated questions:

1. Would this procedure affect my computer at all? I spend a lot of time with it.

2. Would this affect touch screens/graphics tablets?

3. I highly doubt it would, but would it affect headphones in any way?

1) Pretty intensely sore for the first week. Turn signals fucking sucked to use.

1b) No. 2) No. 3) No. But you can feel them, and it's awesome.

I thought this was a stupid idea but you have proved me wrong. Enjoy your super powers.

:)

Oh I am.

Did the procedure include anything to reduce the pain? Did it hurt?

Ice. Alcohol. Yes.

Alcohol on a wound sounds painful. And how does chewing ice help?

Other way around.

Sounds like a legit surgeon right there.

He's a body modification artist. It's generally the same thing if you get any other type of subdermal implant.

Curious if you ever experimented wearing magnetic rings (magicians use them) to see if you could get the same ability without the implant?

Edit: Like this

You can, but you don't get the same level of sensitivity. Fields are much more vivid when the magnets are so close to your nerve endings.

One of my first thoughts with your magenetic fingers is the chance to find a bug implanted on someone like in the spy movies. Can they work like that?

If there is a decent amount of power coming from the radio, perhaps... It's kind of unlikely though. I "feel" the frequency of the field, and radio is probably way too high of a frequency to be able to feel.

Do you ever worry about wiping your credit cards?

I haven't had any problems.

What do you do for work that makes this so valuable? Are you in academia doing research?

I am currently working as a graduate researcher/instructor in academia. Come August though, I plan on following a career path in power electronics. Not really sure where yet.

do you plan on including the implant on your resume?

Probably not... Might be seen as a safety hazard to the uninformed. That or I'd just look like a weirdo. I'd need to keep tattoos covered too. Body modification is kind of frowned upon in the engineering realm.

Body modification is kind of frowned upon in the engineering realm

Which is weird to me, you'd think engineers would be a little more responsive to transhumanism

Right?

Pictures? During install, right after, current, anything?

This album shows a couple of pictures during the procedure. The picture in the description shows the sutures right after the procedure was finished. I'll take a current picture when I get home.

Can you suggest a supplier of the type of coated magnet you used?

Also, which fingers? I would think the thumb, index, and ring finger would be the most interesting as it could let you see a 3d magnetic field.

I've got them in my ring finger and thumb on my left hand. I wanted those two because they allow me to get the biggest separation while also not being totally in the way of daily activities.

Using a turn signal totally fucking sucked for a couple of weeks after I got them done though.

Can your magnets stick to each other? If so what does it feel like?

No, they aren't strong enough. I can feel a little deflection when I get them near each other. It just feels like pinching your fingertips together.