Off the Blockchain: Chronicled Launches Open Registry for IoT

Chronicled, Inc., a San Francisco-based technology company, has launched an Open Registry for IoT, designed to encourage growth and interoperability in the consumer IoT. Built on the Ethereum blockchain, the registry stores the identities of physical items, for starters, consumer goods and collectibles embedded with BLE and NFC microchips. In doing so, a secure, interoperable digital identity is established and new, proximity-based consumer engagement opportunities become possible. Chronicled has open sourced the project under the Apache License.

“Chip companies, physical IP creators, and brands can now register and verify their BLE and NFC chips on a public blockchain,” said Ryan Orr, CEO, Chronicled. “These tamperproof chips can be ordered today and are already being deployed in consumer goods.”

“One of the main problems holding back growth in the consumer IoT market is interoperability,” said Daniel Cooley, SVP and General Manager, IoT Products, Silicon Labs. “By putting IoT chip registrations into private databases, today every brand is creating the equivalent of its own private cellular phone network or its own private email system that is not interoperable with any other network. This interoperable back end is a valuable building block and positive step for the entire IoT ecosystem including app developers, brands and consumers alike.”

The open registry is built on the public Ethereum blockchain. Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum, said, “Consumer IoT has always been one of the areas of blockchain adoption that I have been most bullish about, and I am excited to see Chronicled's efforts in pushing IoT authentication use cases a step further.”

The Bluetooth and NFC functionality currently supported by the open registry back-end allows developers to leverage identity and proximity verification of a physical thing as a basis for serving-up protected digital content and custom user engagement experiences.

Chronicled is currently collaborating with a number of ecosystem partners including Ambisafe, Blue Bite, Cellotape, Identiv, Origin Labs, Silicon Labs, SmartTrac, and Viper Design.