MICROCHIP

A microchip is a small semiconductor used to relay information through specific electrical characteristics. In some cases, the words microchip and integrated circuit can be interchangeably. The microchip is at the heart of many electronics known today, including computers, cell phones and even microwave ovens. If you are reading this right now, chances are very good that you have a microchip to thank for it.
The first microchip invented is credited jointly to Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby in 1958. Though both were working for different companies and coming at the invention from slightly different angles, the two companies decided both had part of the overall answer and decided to cross license their inventions to come up with one unified piece of technology that would revolutionize the electronics industry. The microchip, after being demonstrated in 1958, was first available commercially in 1961.The technology was quaint, compared to today's standards. The first microchip held one transistor, three resistors and one capacitor. Today microchips commonly hold more than 125 million transistors in a space smaller than a U.S. penny.
The quest for smaller microchips has led to numerous other benefits. Today, the use of the microchip goes beyond being inserted in electronic gadgets. They are inserted into biological organisms as well.The microchip has even been credited as an invention which is used to save lives. Pacemakers use microchips in order to keep their timing so that they can run hearts efficiently. Mechanical hearts, themselves, use pacemakers to fully take over the function of a biological heart.
As the cost of biologically centric microchip applications has come down, the number of uses has increased. For example, many pet owners now get microchips inserted in their pets. If the pet is lost, and taken to an animal shelter or veterinary clinic, one of the first things workers will usually do is scan the animal to see if it has a microchip. The microchip will reveal the owner's name and contact information.
Likewise, some people have had microchips inserted into themselves. If they are ever incapacitated and need to be taken to the hospital, they are already carrying their full medical history on a microchip inside their body. These can be easily scanned and the information downloaded for doctors to make the most appropriate decisions possible.In the future, it is envisioned people may have microchips implanted that will take care of many of the everyday tasks we do. Cars may start as the owner approaches. Doors to homes may unlike only for those who have microchips programmed with the key. Microchips have reinvented the way we live and likely will continue to reinvent the way we live in the decades ahead