Realizing an Implementation Platform for Closed Loop Cyber-Physical Systems Using Blockchain

Abstract

Cyber-physical Systems (CPS) comprise of a network of physically distributed embedded sensors and actuators equipped with computational and communication capability. In CPS, Internet of Things (IoT) devices communicate in a trustless environment as the data can be compromised due to the centralized database, limited power and computational constraints. At the same time, reliability and resiliency are key concerns in CPS in the face of unforeseen circumstances, often emanating from disaster based failures. In this paper, critical issues of centralized database security in CPS are addressed via a distributed blockchain based solution. The proposed system encompasses a smart contract based framework in Ethereum blockchain. It further explores the potential of blockchain in securing and offering a distributed network for the CPS in a closed loop manner. To demonstrate the realizability of the proposed framework, a testbed implementation for the proposed idea is provided. A desktop computer, a laptop, a simple temperature sensor and a Light Emitting Diode (LED) are interfaced in a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network using Ethereum. The speedy transaction of sensor data in the blockchain at various difficulty levels and actuation through smart contracts enhance the usability of the platform for CPS and various IoT applications.