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Robots on the blockchain? What is RobotFi?
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The core of DeFi is to automate financial processes through code, while robots are dedicated to automating physical tasks. The combination of the two is a natural extension of the development of automation. If we believe in the power of programmable money, smart contracts and artificial intelligence, then extending this programmability to robots, that is, physical programmable AI agents, is the next logical evolution.
Today’s robots do not directly interface with the blockchain at the hardware level. They do not have built-in blockchain nodes or cryptographic processors. Therefore, to bring existing robots onto the chain, we need a bridge or middle layer, usually an off-chain service or server, to connect the robot and the blockchain. Each robot also needs to be assigned a dedicated wallet address.
One of the strongest leaders in the field of robotics today is Yushu Technology. Although it will take many years for robots like Yushu Technology to truly enter mainstream applications, and putting robot data on the chain sounds more like an unattainable fantasy, it does not prevent us from daydreaming. Yushu robots use their existing communication capabilities, such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and possibly supported cellular networks, to connect to off-chain services through standard network protocols such as HTTP, WebSocket, etc. The off-chain service will then use standard blockchain libraries and APIs, such as Web3.js and Ethers.js, to interact with the blockchain.
When the off-chain service detects a payment to the address associated with the robot, it sends instructions to the robot to perform a specific task. I also envision that in the future, robots can be programmed like smart contracts, capable of executing various action scripts or robot strategies. These strategies can be created by independent developers, so that robots can be considered as physical smart contracts or artificial intelligence agents. The scripts created initially may be in a wild west state, where you can write robots to perform various actions, except for certain prohibited actions, and there will be an independent security or management system to monitor in real time and prevent the robot from doing any dangerous actions. Again, we are still dreaming.
This will enable robot companies to focus on the robot technology itself, rather than the robot service. The robot service will be outsourced to developers to implement. The on-chain robot service running through the off-chain service is called RobotFi. In other words, RobotFi will be a vertical track where participants can earn on-chain income by funding or developing robot-related activities.
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