On Using Blockchains for Safety-Critical Systems

TL;DR

This paper reviews how blockchain technology can be applied to safety-critical cyber-physical systems, discussing benefits, challenges, and future research directions for integrating blockchains into domains like autonomous vehicles and smart energy systems.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of blockchain applications in safety-critical systems, highlighting potential benefits and outlining remaining research challenges.

Findings

Blockchain can enhance security and transparency in safety-critical systems.

Several challenges remain, including scalability and real-time constraints.

A research agenda is proposed to address these challenges.

Abstract

Innovation in the world of today is mainly driven by software. Companies need to continuously rejuvenate their product portfolios with new features to stay ahead of their competitors. For example, recent trends explore the application of blockchains to domains other than finance. This paper analyzes the state-of-the-art for safety-critical systems as found in modern vehicles like self-driving cars, smart energy systems, and home automation focusing on specific challenges where key ideas behind blockchains might be applicable. Next, potential benefits unlocked by applying such ideas are presented and discussed for the respective usage scenario. Finally, a research agenda is outlined to summarize remaining challenges for successfully applying blockchains to safety-critical cyber-physical systems.