Approaching the Communication Constraints of Ethereum-Based Decentralized Applications
Matevž Pustišek1, Anton Umek2, Andrej Kos3
1Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. matevz.pustisek@fe.uni-lj.si.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 20, 2019
Summary
Integrating blockchain with the Internet of Things (IoT) is challenging due to device constraints. This study shows remote server architectures significantly reduce IoT device requirements for blockchain applications.
Area of Science:
- Computer Science
- Distributed Systems
- Cybersecurity
Background:
- Blockchain offers decentralized trust and automation for the Internet of Things (IoT).
- Implementing full blockchain nodes on resource-constrained IoT devices is impractical due to hardware and communication limitations.
- Existing IoT devices often have minimal hardware and use low-bitrate communication, hindering direct blockchain integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate design approaches for decentralized applications on the Ethereum blockchain for IoT environments.
- To evaluate the feasibility and performance of different architectural designs for blockchain in IoT.
- To quantify the impact of architectural choices on device resource utilization (storage, communication, computation).
Main Methods:
- Proposed and evaluated three distinct application architectures for IoT-based decentralized applications.
- Conducted a pilot study to measure and analyze data traffic for blockchain clients and applications.
- Compared communication, computation, and storage requirements across different architectures, including standalone and remote server models.
Main Results:
- Remote server architectures drastically reduce storage and communication demands on IoT devices compared to standalone full clients.
- Periodic device traffic was reduced from approximately 18 kB/s to 2400 B/s (HTTP) and 170 B/s (Websocket).
- Transaction verification and sending generated manageable data payloads (e.g., ~2000 B for verification, ~300-500 B for transactions).
Conclusions:
- Appropriate architectural designs, particularly remote server approaches, enable practical blockchain integration with constrained IoT devices.
- Designers can mitigate unrealistic expectations by selecting system architectures aligned with specific use cases and device constraints.
- Further research into new communication protocols may be necessary for extremely low-bitrate IoT networks connecting to blockchain clients.
Related Concept Videos
01:03Communication
8.7K
Communication between two animals occurs when one animal transmits an information signal that causes a change in the animal that receives the information. Organisms communicate with one another in a host of different ways. Signals can be auditory, chemical, visual, tactile, or a combination of these. Communication is a critical behavioral adaptation that promotes survival, growth, and reproduction.
8.7K
01:28Communication
9.6K
Sharing information, concepts, and emotions to foster mutual understanding is communication. The sender, recipient, and transaction must be considered in this manner. The sender is the person who shares the message, the recipient is the person who receives and understands the message, and the transaction is the method used to deliver the message and the variables that affect the communication's context and surroundings. The nurse-client connection is built on therapeutic communication.
9.6K
01:26Constraints and Statical Determinacy
957
In structural engineering, the equilibrium of a system is not only determined by its equations of equilibrium but also with the help of constraints. Constraints refer to restrictions on the motion of a system. The proper combinations of constraints can minimize the total number of constraints needed to maintain a system in mechanical equilibrium. When this happens, the system is said to be statically determinate. For such systems, the unknown reaction supports can be estimated using equilibrium...
957
01:30Therapeutic Communication
7.7K
Communication is a lifelong learning process. Through therapeutic communication, nurses can collect relevant assessment data, provide education and counseling, and interact during nursing interventions. Sending and receiving messages occur through verbal and nonverbal communication techniques and can happen separately or simultaneously.
Verbal communication depends on language or a prescribed way of using words so that people can share information effectively. The critical aspects of verbal...
Verbal communication depends on language or a prescribed way of using words so that people can share information effectively. The critical aspects of verbal...
7.7K
01:28Neuronal Communication
3.2K
Neurons, the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, communicate through complex electrochemical signals that underpin all cognitive and bodily functions. This communication is primarily facilitated by a process involving the generation and propagation of an action potential along the axon of the neuron. When the internal electrical charge of a neuron surpasses a certain threshold, an action potential is triggered. This rapid change in voltage travels swiftly along the axon to the...
3.2K
01:30Barriers to Effective Communication I
11.0K
A communication barrier is any distortion or interruption during a conversation, resulting in miscommunication of the message. A good communicator should know these barriers and continuously check for the listener's understanding by obtaining feedback.
Communication barriers include the following:
Physiological barriers: They are limitations caused by a person's health condition or disability, such as hearing loss, poor eyesight, illness, or unconsciousness. An example to overcome this...
Communication barriers include the following:
Physiological barriers: They are limitations caused by a person's health condition or disability, such as hearing loss, poor eyesight, illness, or unconsciousness. An example to overcome this...
11.0K