Grantee Roundup: January 2022 - Japan Local Grants Edition!

w3a.io: Smart Lock Authentication for Physical Devices

W3a.io uses Ethereum to verify usage rights for physical devices. The team first explored the concept in 2020 in a joint experiment with Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) in which they trialed a blockchain-based system for automated car sharing on the NAIST campus. A “virtual key” allowed an authorized user to lock and unlock a car with their smartphone, and users were incentivized to return cars to locations where they would be in the highest demand.

W3a.io builds on the concept and learnings from the NAIST pilot, using digital signatures to authenticate authorized operators of physical devices even while offline. The team hopes it can be applied to many use cases to make it easier to bring Ethereum into the real world!