Internet Of Things Specialist Elk Turns Tides To Focus On Blockchain-Connected Devices

The Power Of A New Tiny Development Board Elk Is Turning Tables In blockchain Technology

A new hardware is now being developed which makes a connection to a blockchain much easier. This tool is a small board developed by the Elk firm which helps users to make their own embedded blockchain in no time.

Previously Elk was focussed on building hardware which is open source for the Internet of Things. Its new venture in the blockchain technology is going to spur a revolution.

Elk can be used for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The device is a small circuit board supported by an Arduino-like SDK, which means the SDK is compatible with Arduino and it does not require a set up. This tiny electronic board allows to connect and run devices where blockchain technology is compatible. It can be used to build projects for accepting and sending payments in cryptocurrencies like BTC, ETH, DAI and related tokens.

These hardwares will be able to call and even listen to events for Ethereum smart contacts. Devices using Whisper, a decentralized messaging feature, will be able to communicate without compromising on privacy. The Elk works by creating a light node for direct communication to the blockchain without going via a hosted device.

The control of electronic parts like motors, sensors, actuators, and switches is devised at the ease of the maker’s hands. It also gives access to a decentralized storage called Swarm. The sensors’ data can be fed and stored in this Swarm network.

The Elk mobile application is trivial in remotely and privately connecting to the linked hardwares. For a software person, with some lines of code, this will allow performing unimaginable tasks. For example, a user can control a light bulb remotely by running a few lines of code through the development board and the mobile app. It's really amazing as the board can be easily connected to a broadband or wifi network.

Elkrem (now Elk), as it was known previously, was created in 2018 ETHDenver Hackathon by a group of enthusiastic participants who had secured first place for their prototype of the development board which was aimed to make building decentralized hardware and applications easier. Amr Saleh, Islam El-Ashi, and Islam Mustafa were the same geniuses who had created 1Sheeld, which is a hardware capable of turning any smartphone into more than forty Arduino shields.

Powered by all the libraries supported by Arduino, the Elk team is aiming to deliver the same experience to the blockchain market.

Creator Saleh comments “there’s room to make a 10x improvement to the UX and that’s what we’re setting out to do.”

Interested parties can start to support the crowdfunding on Kickstarter which is supposed to happen sometime around June.