An as yet unnamed consortium of companies working on blockchain applications for the Internet of Things has announced a new API, which seeks to interface multiple protocols for greater compatibility.
The consortium, which is comprised of companies including Bosch, Cisco, BNY Mellon, and Filament, has been established to explore blockchain solutions for the emerging Internet of Things.
The API represents a huge step forward in making this possible, allowing data from several blockchain protocols to be compiled in a compatible format, factoring in some of the biggest existing protocols in the space.
The API will bring together technologies provided via Quorum, ethereum and the open-source Hyperledger, in providing a workable protocol for development at the intersect between the Internet of Things and blockchain technologies.
According to release documentation, the API will enable identification information to be bound to cryptographic IDs, for greater security and encryption via the blockchain.
"The protocol allows users to register multiple kinds of weaker identities, including serial numbers, QR codes, and UPC code identities and bind them to stronger cryptographic identities, which are immutably linked across both physical and digital worlds using blockchain technology.”
Beta software development kits are already available from the consortium, accessible via the Hyperledger and Chronicled GitHub libraries.
The consortium is still in the process of forming a not-for-profit entity, to be tasked with overseeing the collaboration as it moves through its more advanced stages.
With early indications positive for a range of applications between blockchain and IoT technologies, the API has been seen as a welcome step on the road to greater integration between these pioneering innovations.
While little further is known at this stage about the particulars of the project, this is a moving picture, with further information expected from consortium members in the near future.
It comes at a time of increasing development activity in both the blockchain and IoT spaces, considered two of the most exciting frontiers for technology in the years to come.
With Cisco and Bosch among the big names supporting the work of the consortium, it is expected to develop further protocols for these technologies in the months ahead.
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