Customs and Border Protection trialed the feasibility of utilizing blockchain to defend IPR (intellectual property rights) information transmitted among multiple commercial companies.

In a late February statement, CBP stated the proof of concept showed blockchain could encrypt sensitive data and trace it through an electronic ledger to guard IPR on imports, as well as the sensitive data shared among retailers, manufacturers, rights holders and importing companies.

CBP has long struggled against imported counterfeit goods of all stripes, from toys and athletic wear to prescription drugs, stating they cost U.S. companies hundreds of millions of dollars every year in lost income.

 According to CBP, the proof-of-concept blockchain connected product data accurately to the product and the license, occurring in fewer physical examinations of products being imported. 

The seven companies engaging in the trial could communicate with other participants utilizing their unique blockchain, regardless of different software employed by each party, acknowledgments to the program’s open global standards and approaches.

The supply chain for military tires

SAIC declared a blockchain pilot with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company to ensure the supply chain for vehicle tires and aircraft for the foreign military sales and armed services under the Defense Logistics Agency’s Global Tires Program. SAIC stated the program had delivered more than 1.5 million tires worldwide, with a 97% fill rate.

SAIC intends to combine data from internet-of-things sensors with smart contracts to improve real-time supply chain track-and-trace capabilities so that participants will immediately understand if weather or a mechanical breakdown delays a truckload of aircraft tires. 

The pilot, backed by Microsoft Azure Blockchain services, will enable participants to view, track, and analyze supply chain activity, additionally to help consumers in making informed buying decisions.

Coronavirus support

A professor at the University of California, San Diego, has been examining how moving medical supply chain records to a blockchain could help predict shortages in health emergencies by recognizing chokepoints in the delivery process.

According to a report in Forbes, Timothy Mackey believes that by excluding these hiccups in the system, public health officials and medical suppliers could more clearly understand which hospitals were prepared to handle COVID-19 patients and others in need of acute care.

According to Xinhuanet, China’s official news outlet, blockchain technology supported the Chinese government and medical agencies fight against the coronavirus. In the first two weeks of February, at least twenty blockchain-based applications were started to tackle the emerging difficulties, including health records management, managing relief supplies along, securing gated communities for residents, and tracking the logistics of epidemic prevention materials.

Drone communications

Researchers at Purdue University have secured funding from NASA for a blockchain-inspired scalable, secure, distributed, and efficient communication framework to help large scale drone operations. The researchers recommend an unmanned aerial vehicle traffic information exchange network to economically and securely distribute UAV flight data across the network.

According to the award notice, the project will illustrate how traffic data can be distributed between aircraft traffic controllers and UAVs in a city with barriers blocking radio signals. 

Additionally, the researchers stated it could also implement a real-time and reliable information source for drone developers operating on collision avoidance systems and route planning strategies that assure airspace safety and efficiency.

Secure vehicle communications

The Federal Highway Administration stated it anticipates to sponsor research into the application of blockchain technology for highway transportation. It is involved in support for safe, freight data management, real-time communication for connected vehicles, dynamic roadway asset tools that optimize routing or geofencing of roadway sections, and highway pricing highlighting auction-based and active mechanisms.