

Filament raises $5M to bring the blockchain to the Internet of things - bertm
http://fortune.com/2015/08/18/filament-blockchain-iot/

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bertm
Another article on the same topic:
[http://www.computerworld.com/article/2969396/internet-of-
thi...](http://www.computerworld.com/article/2969396/internet-of-things/peak-
iot-platform-filament-raises-5m.html)

"Filament looks really interesting. It would be possible to dismiss this
fledgling business as a hodgepodge of buzzwords, but the credibility of its
investor pool, the novel approach it seems to be taking to the problem, and
the very real opportunity that exists for IoT networks all combine to make
this an interesting play."

edit: a better written version: [http://www.coindesk.com/filament-
nets-5-million-for-blockcha...](http://www.coindesk.com/filament-
nets-5-million-for-blockchain-based-internet-of-things-hardware/)

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bizzleDawg
Filiment looks like a really robust system with what amounts to "eventual
consistency" for IoT data, which is great for data which doesn't need to be
acted on in near real time.

1\. I'd be interested to see a bit more about how they will handle systems
with actuators as well as sensors - i.e. controlling things like windows and
sprinklers. I think IoT gets really interesting when it's not just about
sensors.

2\. It will be even more interesting to see if people are wiling to allow
their nodes to be used to help a neighbour get their data through the mesh.
Clearly your node will use more power if it's relaying more data, so I wonder
how willing people (for example farmers) will be willing to share resources
like that.

~~~
temas
Hey, I'm working with Filament and wanted to give you some info.

1) Our basic Tap has USB and a few analog/digital pins exposed externally for
this type of control. We expect USB to be one of the larger factors down the
road and are looking at ways to simplify that path.

2) You sir, are thinking well ahead and in the right places.

Feel free to email us with any direct questions! hello@filament.com

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bertm
"To build its technology, Filament is using a series of protocols that include
the blockchain transaction database behind Bitcoin; BitTorrent, the popular
peer-to-peer file sharing software; Jose, a contract management protocol that
is also used in the OAuth authentication service that lets people use their
Facebook ID to log in and manage permissions to other sites around the web;
TMesh, a long-range mesh networking technology and Telehash for private
messaging."

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jfolkins
As someone who needs sensor data for their product, this looks pretty cool.
I'd love to see the API docs.

~~~
shilpik
Docs will be available soon. Shoot us an note: hello@filament.com

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mtgx
IBM and Samsung are also working on a similar project using Ethereum,
Bittorrent and Telehash:

[http://www.coindesk.com/ibm-reveals-proof-concept-
blockchain...](http://www.coindesk.com/ibm-reveals-proof-concept-blockchain-
powered-internet-things/)

[https://www.theprotocol.tv/adept-demo-ibm-
samsung/](https://www.theprotocol.tv/adept-demo-ibm-samsung/)

I wonder why they don't just use IPFS, too.

~~~
epnk
IPFS is a cool tech, for sure. But it looks like IPFS is focused on "high
throughput content-addressed block storage model, with content-addressed
hyperlinks".

The file-transfer needs of DIST is simply for a decentralized method of
firmware updates--as outlined in the IBM ADEPT paper.

