Integration of Blockchain Technology into the Internet of Things (Overview)

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20535/2786-8729.4.2024.311745

Keywords:

blockchain, IoT, data security, consensus algorithm, smart contracts

Abstract

One of the modern trends in the development of information and communication technologies that have evolved into the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm is the progressive idea of using blockchain technology in IoT. This trend is described in a large number of modern literature sources, which point out the significant advantages of using blockchain, primarily related to decentralization, immutability, transparency and security. This allows us to conclude that the implementation of blockchain technology in IoT information and communication systems is highly relevant. However, the authors of different studies describe significant problems, including the problem of scalability of the blockchain itself, as well as the problems of energy efficiency and limited resources in IoT devices. Due to these problems, the implementation of blockchain technology in the Internet of Things is becoming a challenge and determines the relevance and feasibility of researching this topic and finding effective solutions related to the integration of two very powerful technologies in modern information and communication systems.

The article presents an analytical overview of the issues of integrating blockchain technology into IoT, in particular, the use of the Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm in IoT and the use of alternative blockchain protocols, including IOTA, Ethereum Light Client and Litecoin, which allow increasing the efficiency of performing tasks in IoT infrastructure, taking into account the limited resources of devices; existing problems and implementation methods, such as the use of light clients and proxy servers. The article also considers the feasibility of using a full blockchain node on IoT devices and ways to increase system efficiency by pre-processing data before sending it to the blockchain network. The article also highlights the problem of insufficient implementation of blockchain technology in various spheres of human life, as well as the search for the reasons for this problem.

The results of the analytical review make it possible to substantiate the purpose and advantages of integrating blockchain technology into the Internet of Things, as well as to summarize the main issues and substantiate a number of tasks for relevant and progressive scientific research in the field of modern information and communication systems.

Author Biographies

Roman Serebriakov, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kyiv, Ukraine

PhD student of the Computer Engineering Department of the Faculty of informatics and Computer Technique

Valentyna Tkachenko, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

PhD, Associate Professor of Department of Computer Engineering at NTUU “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

Iryna Klymenko, National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

Doctor of Technical Sciences, Docent, Professor at the Department of Computing Engineering at NTUU “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”

References

Nakamoto S. , Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system, 2008 [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

Buterin V. , Ethereum white paper, 2014 [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://blockchainlab.com/pdf/Ethereum_white_paper-a_next_generation_smart_contract_and_decentralized_application_platform-vitalik-buterin.pdf

Kumar, S., Tiwari, P. & Zymbler, M. Internet of Things is a revolutionary approach for future technology enhancement: a review. J Big Data 6, 111 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40537-019-0268-2.

Reyna, A., Martín, C., Chen, J., Soler, E., & Díaz, M. (2018). On blockchain and its integration with IoT. Challenges and opportunities. Future Generation Computer Systems, 88, 173-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2018.05.046

Chatzigiannis, P., Baldimtsi, F., Chalkias, K. (2022). SoK: Blockchain Light Clients. In: Eyal, I., Garay, J. (eds) Financial Cryptography and Data Security. FC 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13411. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-18283-9_31

IOTA Documentation // IOTA Foundation WIKI [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://wiki.iota.org/get-started/introduction/iota/introduction/.

On the Tangle, White Papers, Proofs, Airplanes, and Local Modifiers // IOTA Foundation Blog [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://blog.iota.org/on-the-tangle-white-papers-proofs-airplanes-and-local-modifiers-44683aff8fea/

Trinity Attack Incident Part 1: Summary and next steps // IOTA Foundation Blog [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://blog.iota.org/trinity-attack-incident-part-1-summary-and-next-steps-8c7ccc4d81e8/.

Litecoin (LTC): What It Is, How It Works, vs. Bitcoin // Investopedia [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/040515/what-litecoin-and-how-does-it-work.asp

Light clients // Ethereum Documentation [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/nodes-and-clients/light-clients/.

Hussein, Z., Salama, M.A. & El-Rahman, S.A. Evolution of blockchain consensus algorithms: a review on the latest milestones of blockchain consensus algorithms. Cybersecurity 6, 30 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42400-023-00163-y

Gans, J. (2023). Proof of Work Versus Proof of Stake. In: The Economics of Blockchain Consensus. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33083-4_5

Dong S, Abbas K, Li M, Kamruzzaman J. 2023. Blockchain technology and application: an overview. PeerJ Computer Science 9:e1705 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj-cs.1705

Alam T. Blockchain-Based Internet of Things: Review, Current Trends, Applications, and Future Challenges. Computers. 2023; 12(1):6. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers12010006

Atlam HF, Walters RJ, Wills GB. Fog Computing and the Internet of Things: A Review. Big Data and Cognitive Computing. 2018; 2(2):10. https://doi.org/10.3390/bdcc2020010

Ripple Company // Ripple [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://ripple.com/company/.

Weerawarna, R., Miah, S.J. & Shao, X. Emerging advances of blockchain technology in finance: a content analysis. Pers Ubiquit Comput 27, 1495–1508 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-023-01712-5

Rao, I.S., Kiah, M.L.M., Hameed, M.M. et al. Scalability of blockchain: a comprehensive review and future research direction. Cluster Comput (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10586-023-04257-7

IBM Food Trust // IBM [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://www.ibm.com/products/supply-chain-intelligence-suite/food-trust.

Aleksieva V, Valchanov H, Haka A, Dinev D. Logistics Model Based on Smart Contracts on Blockchain and IoT. Engineering Proceedings. 2023; 41(1):8. https://doi.org/10.3390/engproc2023041008

Samad, T.A., Sharma, R., Ganguly, K.K. et al. Enablers to the adoption of blockchain technology in logistics supply chains: evidence from an emerging economy. Ann Oper Res 327, 251–291 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-022-04546-1

Guardtime Technology [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://guardtime.com/technology.

Allam, A.H., Gomaa, I., Zayed, H.H. et al. IoT-based eHealth using blockchain technology: a survey. Cluster Comput (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10586-024-04357-y

Kasyapa MSB and Vanmathi C (2024) Blockchain integration in healthcare: a comprehensive investigation of use cases, performance issues, and mitigation strategies. Front. Digit. Health 6:1359858. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2024.1359858

Wang X, Wu YC and Ma Z (2024) Blockchain in the courtroom: exploring its evidentiary significance and procedural implications in U.S. judicial processes. Front. Blockchain 7:1306058. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbloc.2024.1306058

James Clavin, Sisi Duan, Haibin Zhang, Vandana P. Janeja, Karuna P. Joshi, Yelena Yesha, Lucy C. Erickson, and Justin D. Li. 2020. Blockchains for Government: Use Cases and Challenges. Digit. Gov.: Res. Pract. 1, 3, Article 22 (July 2020), 21 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3427097

Heller N. Estonia, the Digital Republic / Nathan Heller // The New Yorker. – 2017. [Online]. Accessed: Aug. 16, 2024. Available: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/12/18/estonia-the-digital-republic.

Ullah, A., Anwar, S.M., Li, J. et al. Smart cities: the role of Internet of Things and machine learning in realizing a data-centric smart environment. Complex Intell. Syst. 10, 1607–1637 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40747-023-01175-4

Alam, T. Blockchain and Big Data-based Access Control for Communication Among IoT Devices in Smart Cities. Wireless Pers Commun 132, 433–456 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-023-10617-8

Downloads

Published

2024-10-02

How to Cite

[1]
R. Serebriakov, V. . Tkachenko, and I. . Klymenko, “Integration of Blockchain Technology into the Internet of Things (Overview)”, Inf. Comput. and Intell. syst. j., no. 4, pp. 99–113, Oct. 2024.