Microchip implants could be considered the ultimate form of mobile payment — skipping the smartphone altogether in favor of giving people bionic abilities. And a small segment of the population is already lining up to try it out.

Proponents of the chips argue that implants could drive the future of payments and other smart functions, and that they create conveniences for those who are willing to embrace the technology. But critics question the ethical ramifications of offering chips in the workplace, and they raise questions about whether today’s chips provide enough of a compelling use case to justify their physical invasiveness.

If the BioHax technology takes off, it would fulfill a longtime desire of the payments industry to shift habits from “don’t leave home without it” to “you can’t leave home without it.”