Ford has been issued a patent for “Apparatus and methods […] for vehicle-to-vehicle cooperation to marshal traffic.” The patent indicates that Ford is seeking to use cryptocurrency technology as a means for cars to communicate with each other whilst on the road – with the patent describing a “Cooperatively Managed Merge and Pass (CMMP) system” that uses “CMMP tokens” to facilitate inter-vehicle communications.
Also Read:
Ford Granted Patent for “Vehicle-to-Vehicle” Communication System
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has published a document granting Ford Global Technologies, LLC patent number for “Apparatus and methods” designed to facilitate “vehicle-to-vehicle cooperation to marshal traffic.” The intended utility of the new technology is the alleviation of traffic congestion through using communication between vehicles to facilitate the cooperative coordination of “platoons” of vehicles.
The patent states that Ford disclosed an example of the technology in the form of a “vehicle-to-vehicle communication module and an example cooperative adaptive cruise control module.” The document notes that the “cooperative adaptive cruise control module determines a location of a traffic cataract,” and also “coordinates with other cooperative vehicles to form a platoon of standard vehicles,” with the cooperative module “coordinat[ing] with other cooperative vehicles to move the formed platoon through traffic cataract at a constant speed.”
Cryptocurrency Technology to Facilitate Inter-Vehicle Communications
The document describes a “Cooperatively Managed Merge and Pass (CMMP) system,” which utilizes cryptocurrency technology in order to facilitate communications between vehicles.
The patent states that The CMMP system operates with individual token-based transactions, where the merchant vehicles and the consumers’ vehicles agree to trade units of cryptocurrency […] referred to as ‘CMMP tokens’ […] “The CMMP system facilitates particular drivers accessing less congested lanes. Drivers with cooperative vehicles may choose to participate in the system in which driving behavior is monitored, recorded, and evaluated in a collective manner by themselves and other participating vehicles.”
In practice, “This system would temporarily allow for particular cooperative vehicles (sometimes referred to as “consumer vehicles”) to drive at higher speeds in less-occupied lanes of traffic and also to merge and pass freely when needed. Other participating cooperative vehicles (sometimes referred to as “merchant vehicles”) voluntarily occupy slower lanes of traffic to facilitated the consumer vehicle to merge into their lanes and pass as needed […] The CMMP tokens are used to validate and authorize a transaction in which, at consumer vehicle request, the merchant vehicles either occupy slower lanes of traffic themselves, or allow the consumer vehicle to merge into their own lane and pass as necessary. The participating merchant vehicles gain CMMP tokens from the consumer vehicle.”
CMMP Tokens to Operate as Inter-Vehicle Credit System
In certain instances, Ford intends for the CMMP tokens to also function as a credit system with regards to the allocation of high-speed lanes.
The patent document states that “In some examples, the time allotted to the request of the consumer vehicle is based on the number of CMMP tokens chosen by the consumer vehicle to be spent at that particular time. For example, a driver of a consumer vehicle which is running late for an appointment may request to pass any participating merchant vehicles for a duration of 10 minutes on a particular road or highway for 60 CMMP tokens, at a rate of 10 seconds preferential access per token.”
Do you think that Ford’s CMMP system will work? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Images courtesy of Shutterstock
Want to create your own secure cold storage paper wallet? Check our section.
The post appeared first on .
The low volatility cryptocurrency and blockchain payments solution has just released its atomic swap protocol for public testing, following a successful atomic swap exercise completed between MNX and bitcoin (BTC) blockchains. The company operating MNX, MinexSystems, has announced on its official blog the successful completion of preliminary internal testing and the firm’s plans on further testing from the community and general public.
MNX sees itself as a leading contender in the so-called “atomic swap technology race”, aiming to create a truly decentralized exchange with a simple and convenient mechanism that does not rely on an intermediary. The successful atomic swaps have taken place on the MNX and BTC Testnets – Blockchains that are separate and distinct from the actual operating Mainnets, often used by developers to test out new technologies, such as atomic swapping. This sandboxing prevents potential risks to the main chain and actual digital assets.
The console demonstration also includes explanations by the MNX developers on typical scenarios, such as what happens if one participant in the swap cancels the exchange or does not complete the transaction in time.
With the protocol made public via its official MNS GitHub page, any member of the public is now invited to test it, using instructions to launch cross-chain exchanges via his or her own device. Users will be required to launch both MNX and BTC blockchains in Testnet. To access MNX, the wallet version can be downloaded and compiled from GitHub, or users can wait for the desktop release.
According to MNX lead blockchain developer, Roman Hulenko, the MNX code uses a reactive non-blocking programming approach to order an event-driven system, resulting in a functional solution able to process large batches of events:
“Also, it has to be highlighted that Atomic Swap implementation will trigger quality modifications in MNX blockchain itself”.
MNX efforts are currently focused on a user-friendly graphic interface for atomic swapping, which will also be published on the public site. With an alpha version anticipated to be launched early next month, users can look forward to atomic swaps for major pairs such as LTC/MNX or Decred/MNX. Once tests have been resolved, modifications will be made to the MNX Mainnet alongside a SegWit upgrade.
According to MNX blockchain developer, Vladyslav Zaichuk, the use of Testnet will demonstrate MNX capabilities, with safety to come first:
“With the launch of a final product, our trustless exchanger will not only improve the comfort of the exchange processes but will also work as a “supervisor”. Thus, all transactions will be carried out without the third party, but our intermediate link will be entitled to block suspicious transactions, expose the user ratings to avoid scammers, and monitor the security of the system without having access to the user’s assets”.
MNX upholds the original ideals of cryptocurrency as an alternative and future means of payment, but addresses the main issue of volatility, through a cryptocurrency with low volatility suited as a global means of payment. MNX features a sustainable reward system for holders and a low-fee transaction solution that is affordable and scalable, bridging the world of traditional and digital money.
The post appeared first on .
