IOTA’s CityBot: Paving the Way for Automation in an $80 Billion Market

• IOTA’s distributed ledger technology (DLT) takes center stage in the EDAG Group’s CityBot, a futuristic logistics robot that navigates automated warehouses, offering precise item location, transportation, loading, and cargo sorting.
• The EDAG Group’s collaboration with IOTA since 2019 marks a strategic move into blockchain technology for advancing mobility solutions.

The IOTA distributed ledger network (DLT) has been at the center of utility for some of the key industrial applications. A video presentation from the EDAG Group showcasing CityBot unveils not only the future of transportation but also offers a glimpse into seamlessly integrated and automated logistics.

In this futuristic depiction, CityBot adeptly navigates through an automated warehouse, executing tasks such as item location, transportation, loading, and cargo sorting with precision.

CityBot stands out not just for its transportation capabilities but for its integration into a comprehensive software platform, allowing real-time tracking of items. This versatile robot, operational around the clock, possesses intelligent tool selection capabilities and collaborates seamlessly with various units to maximize efficiency. The EDAG Group envisions CityBot facilitating “barrier-free material flows from 2025 onwards – autonomously, without emissions, on time, with real-time tracking and 24/7/365 availability” in highly automated environments such as warehouses.

Driving CityBot’s advanced functionalities is IOTA, a data communication and payment protocol. Utilizing IOTA, services are listed on an enabled marketplace, and after execution, payments are billed and settled through machine-to-machine or machine-to-infrastructure transactions.

IOTA – Powering the Future of Mobility

The vision extends beyond a single video or robot, as demonstrated by CityBot’s potential to redefine urban operations, highlighted during SafetyWeek 2020 in Würzburg, Germany. The modular design of CityBot enables configuration for various applications, encompassing passenger transport, cargo handling, city cleaning, and park maintenance.

In pursuit of efficiency, The EDAG Group has built some crucial partnerships. The EDAG Group has notably collaborated with Goodyear to ensure the continuous connectivity of CityBot’s tires to the ecosystem software. This connectivity facilitates real-time monitoring of tire conditions, enhancing performance and minimizing costs.

In a significant move toward advancing mobility solutions, the EDAG Group’s collaboration with IOTA, initiated in 2019, marks a strategic venture into integrating blockchain technology. Leveraging IOTA’s expertise in the rapidly evolving Internet of Things (IoT) landscape, this collaboration enhances the potential of the CityBot. According to the IOTA Foundation, the alliance is also making moves towards challenging the status quo and creating a secure, automated, and sustainable environment for human beings.

Several Industry Use Cases

As said earlier, the IOTA network has been at the center of several industrial use cases. China’s Blockchain Service Network (BSN) launched RealDID, a national decentralized identity system, using blockchain to verify the identities of its citizens. RealDID allows anonymous registration and login using Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and private keys, addressing privacy concerns.

It responds to China’s push for enhanced credibility and public supervision. IOTA, with its Tangle technology, also aligns with RealDID’s goals, offering fast transaction confirmations and scalability. Furthermore, IOTA’s recent upgrades, including Identity 1.0 and the Stardust protocol, enhance its capabilities, positioning it for potential integration into RealDID.

In a similar development, ZF Group unveils a new patent harnessing IOTA technology to combat product piracy, signaling a potential transformation in supply chain security. This innovation holds the promise of enhancing the integrity of supply chains and protecting against counterfeit products. The use of IOTA technology signifies a strategic approach to address the growing challenges of product piracy, providing a secure and transparent solution. This development reflects the continuous integration of blockchain-based solutions to fortify supply chain ecosystems against illicit activities.