Walmart Seeks Patent for Blockchain-Powered Drone Communication System

US retail giant Walmart has filed a patent application for blockchain technology based drone communication system. The information came to limelight after the document was released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent application illustrates a system that encrypts and saves the operational parameters of the drone on which it is deployed.

That data is later transmitted to another drone, which decrypts, understands and then aligns to those parameters.

So, basically, the drone-to-drone communication system would be able to share messages between unmanned drones, mesh communication networks and permit machines to be cognizant of mutual location.

Walmart has been involved in patenting blockchain solutions for drones for the past two years. Back in May 2017, Walmart submitted a patent application with the USPTO for a system titled “Unmanned Aerial Delivery to Secure Location.”

Earlier in 2019, Walmart collaborated with IBM and the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to monitor pharmaceutical shipments with a system based on blockchain technology.

Walmart has also entered into crypto sector with the filing of another patent application for its own blockchain based cryptocurrency earlier in August.

Similarly, IBM also filed a patent application with the USPTO in 2017 for a system that would safeguard drone communications by saving and sharing data via blockchain technology. In the document, IBM has stated that validator nodes could provide unique approvals such as allowing a drone to fly in a given flight path.