How does it work?
The block chain conquers logistics The decentralised digital currency Bitcoin has inspired many applications. A Swiss start-up hopes the underlying block-chain technology will ensure legal compliance in the distribution of medicines. Journalist: Daniel Saraga Infographics: Ikonaut 1 Temperature control As of 1 January 2016, the European directive ‘Good Distribution Practice’ will govern the temperature of medicine during delivery. A Zurich start-up, Modum, has since emerged, offering new technology tested in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry.
2 On-board sensors The barcode on each packet of medicine will be scanned before dispatch. En route, sensors in the packets measure the temperature every 10 minutes. Upon arrival, the recipient uploads data from the sensor over a secure network using a smartphone.
3 Block-chain certified data The data is uploaded to Ethereum, a computer platform capable of guaranteeing the authenticity of the temperature data and indicating any deviations from the range allowed. Ethereum uses block-chain technology, which is a decentralised database containing the entire data history. The principle is that every computer in the network has a copy of the block chain and is therefore involved in validating new data. 20° C
10° C
4 Zug at the heart of the wave With block chain, the principle of decentralised authorisation used by Bitcoin is being extended to all manner of applications: financial transactions, contracts, authentication, and monetisation of the Internet. Many of them use Ethereum, which was launched by the Zug-based, eponymous foundation in July 2015. The innovation community has high hopes for block chain, but validating transactions uses vast amounts of energy. What’s more: it’s a complex task to integrate it into specific applications and once there it can pose security risks.
Swiss National Science Foundation – Swiss Academies: Horizons No. 111
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