The Slovenia Workshop on the Bitcoin Masterclasses: How IPv6 and multicast may be used to radically transform industries
Dr. Craig Wright challenged participants at the conclusion of his The Bitcoin Masterclasses in Slovenia to consider useful uses for the technology discussed in the Masterclasses, including blockchain, IPv6, multicast, and other topics.
A brief summary of the topics discussed thus far
Dr. Wright asks the audience to summarize what they have learnt so far from the Bitcoin Masterclasses. What applications did the different groups develop?
They covered a wide range of sectors, such as the food, travel, and insurance industries. Additionally, they discovered key management, the wonders of IPv6, distributed hash tables, how to design decentralized, distributed systems, how to employ listeners to make sure data is received even when a user is offline, and much more.
Dr. Wright reiterates the need for rigorous design consideration while developing distributed applications. There is plenty of room for redundancy in IPv6 because there are plenty of available IP addresses.
“The model changes suddenly when the scarcity caused by IPv4 is removed,” he stated.
Group 1: Monitoring cargo in the transportation sector
The ability of blockchain technology and Internet of Things devices to transform supply chains is well acknowledged. This group considered employing technology to track products, especially those moving by train.
In order to communicate with receivers, customs officers, and other parties as they move from one site to another, are offloaded and reloaded, etc., IoT devices, each with a distinct IPv6 address, may be employed.
Dr. Wright then asks the group to split into four further sub-groups. One will be tasked with explaining how a system to manage this should be built (with alerts), another will do inventory management, a different group will do accounting, tracking, and logistics, and the last group will figure out a system to determine where containers are, how full they are, etc.
The group focused on a solution to improve the flow of goods. IoT devices could be used to track containers and even activities within them, such as the opening of crates. Data would automatically be updated on the blockchain, allowing all interested parties to know exactly what happened and where. This system would also prevent fraud, theft, and other issues. These same IoT devices can pull useful information, such as temperatures within containers, how far they have traveled, etc.
Dr. Wright asks if law enforcement might be interested in this technology. The group spokesperson says yes, as it would be easier to pinpoint the nexus of activities like smuggling, helping law enforcement to catch those concerned.
Group two: Controlling access to houses and buildings
Group two tackled the problem of using keys to access houses and buildings. Keys should be linked to certificates that prove ownership of the key. For example, owners could use these certificates to prove ownership of keys before having them duplicated by a locksmith.
He asks this group to split into three. One should develop a sharing system utilizing smart doors to control access to different rooms, cupboards, etc., within a house. Another should track and monitor inventory within the house. The last group should consider maintaining the house’s smart components, including how service people might bill for the maintenance.
The group returned with a key system for controlling access to a property for regular and non-regular visitors. Keys should work on certain days and hours for both parties based on their agreed access to the property with the owner. For non-regular visitors, the access should not be recurring, whereas it should be for regular visitors.
Dr. Wright notes that systems like this could disable stolen keys and could mean they only work within a certain range.
Group three: Smart gadgets
The third group thought of smart gadgets, such as watches that communicate and give alerts when stolen; they also considered smart fridges that order goods when running low, smart cars that alert upcoming potential problems and ensure the authenticity of replacement parts, and smart parking that allows us to only pay for the time we’ve used.
Dr. Wright asks this group to split into three small groups. He instructs them to focus on one smart item. The first group should concentrate on manufacturing. The second should focus on resales, updates, and related issues. The final group is tasked with customer engagement, communication, and alerts.
The group focused on car manufacturing, detailing how they would prevent a car manufacturer from producing more cars than there is demand for. Every time a batch of cars is finished, the firm could spend a UTXO. This same approach could be used for producing components. Resales would use the same UTXOs, updating with service history, mileage, etc. If a car was recalled, the multicast group would handle the alerts.
Dr. Wright is satisfied with these solutions but points out that even the different car components can have other multicast groups assigned to them. This could help prevent issues such as the mass recall of vehicles that don’t require new components but are part of a batch in which a fault has been detected.
Group four: Recalling dangerous or faulty goods
This group thought about recalling purchased goods. Goods like food, technology, and others often need to be recalled. They hadn’t yet thought of a solution but identified the problem; communication with those who had bought the items and alerting them to the potential dangers of using them.
Dr. Wright splits this group into two. He asks one group to think about the devices where things like food are kept and how those devices might communicate with other elements of the smart system, such as the history of the food on the supply chain. The second group should consider utilizing tokens in such smart systems.
The group identifies that tracking things like food from the moment they are ready is crucial. Everything that happens to it before it is ready for consumption needs to be known. This data can be hashed, and only the data that indicates something is wrong needs to be shared.
Dr. Wright takes these ideas further, saying that multicast IPv6 groups enable us to communicate information in real-time to everyone involved in the life cycle of a given item. This same technology allows us to send alerts instantly when anomalies are detected, potentially stopping a faulty good or spoiled food item from reaching an end consumer.