By IBM, one of the oldest and biggest computing companies in the world recently applied to patent a system which will utilise distributed ledger technology (DLT) in order to address the privacy and security concerns currently faced with the ever-increasing adoption of drones in commercial and recreational areas.
IBM first applied for the patent according to a document published on Thursday by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) adding to their growing list of applications pertaining to blockchain applications.
The author of the patent application goes into detail about how blockchain ledger technology could be implemented in order to store data that is associated with UAV flights “particularly when a security risk is considered to be relatively high,” thus ensuring that regulators and airspace controllers can properly supervise the ever-increasing amount of drones in our skies. 
Flight patterns, location, manufacturer, model number, erratic behaviour, weather and restricted zone proximity’s are all possible data points that may be included on blocks.
The author went on the explain it:
“The chain can be considered a chronicle of a UAV’s path through time. When a transaction is conducted, the corresponding UAV parameters are sent to one or more of the computing nodes in the system for validation. The one or more computing nodes establish a validity of the transaction and generate a new block. Once the new block has been calculated, it can be appended to the stakeholder’s UAV blockchain. Among many other advantages, the use of a blockchain infrastructure helps in identifying misbehaving UAVs by multiple parties and such activities are recorded in an immutable ledger. “
This proposed system could utilise the permissioned blockchain to include variable block times which will, when triggered by environmental factors change in response. Let’s say a drone flies too close to a no-fly zone, this could set off a risk flag and this will increase the networks block time and provide airspace controllers with added data on the flagged UAV and when applicable the pilot too.
Another scenario could see a drone being granted special permission to fly in a restricted airspace in order to deliver medical supplies, as regulators will be able to glean the necessary data from the blockchain that gives them the authorization to do so.
How would this work?
These risk assessments can be performed by analytical algorithms or by machine learning models which can be run off-chain and interfaced with the blockchain ledger by use of smart contracts.
IBM is not the only company who has expressed an interest in blockchain technology as a means to solve the problems that stem from the increasing amount of drones and other unmanned vehicles. Not too long ago, the USPTO published a patent application from Walmart, who were also seeking to use blockchain technology in order to secure packages from a supply chain which is made up of autonomous vehicles and robots!
What are your thoughts on the application of blockchain technology in other sectors? Let us know if you’ve heard of other applications of the technology being implemented in other industries.
Follow CoinBeat on Facebook, Twitter & Telegram
Subscribe to our CoinBeat Newsletter
Submit an article to CoinBeat
View live Marketcap Prices here
Comments