The technology of blockchain has reached the mainstream conscience as a result of the popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Blockchain as implemented in Bitcoin is a distributed ledger system in which transaction history is maintained by a consensus of participant nodes. These participant nodes also compete in using proof of work to decide the block of transaction added to the chain. This system has the benefits of being totally decentralized and creating a nearly unalterable transaction history. However, the proof of work method is resource intensive and slow. Another cryptocurrency, Etherium uses a consortium variation on blockchain in which a subset of participant nodes are selected to determine the next transaction block added to the chain. It is this consortium blockchain which my project will be based on.

In the healthcare industry of today data privacy is a major concern. There are numerous examples available of healthcare providers failing to maintain the security of their patients’ data and being hacked. As Internet of Things devices become more commonplace they will play an ever grMy senior project will focus on using blockchain technology to connect Internet of Things devices, specifically in a healthcare context where patient data is of high security concern. The implementation will make use of the consortium blockchain concepteater role in healthcare and form the basis of smart healthcare. Of primary concern with this fact is being able to secure these devices of low computational power. My project will use the consortium blockchain previously mentioned to secure such devices and improve the security of the data being transfered.

Paper

My paper will delve into the technology of blockchain and specifically focus on consortium blockchain. It will explain what the Internet of Things is and how these devices pertain to healthcare. And it will bring the two together explaining how a blockchain will provide increased security to an IoT network and how it allows providers to remain HIPAA compliant.

Software/Hardware

The hardware component of my project will utilize affordable single board computers (SBCs) like CHIP to model healthcare IoT devices. These SBCs will be set up in a network similar to one that could feasibly be found in smart healthcare. Additionally, another SBC or a more powerful computer, if need be, will be used as a sort of aggregator. For my blockchain implementation I will use the University of Sydney’s Red Belly Blockchain with the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger as a backup. My code will use the blockchain framework which is currently geared towards currency and tweak it for communication. My prediction is that this repurposing will present the bulk of the challenge and time commitment for the project.