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Slock.it wants people to share just about anything
Slock.it is a German start-up using Blockchain technology to give Internet of Things (IOT) devices an identity and a wallet. Via smart contracts, the company is turning devices into autonomous players in the sharing economy. As is expected from start-ups, the company has big plans, wanting to build a marketplace called the Universal Sharing Network (USN), where people can share and rent just about anything that is connected to the internet.
Laura Hermann, Business Development at Slock.it, explains the potential impact on the travel industry: “By using the USN app, you will instantly see on a map what is shareable and instantly accessible to you. With your smartphone you can unlock a bike which someone left there, and when you return it the
bike will charge you. The same goes for apartments with smart locks.”
The sharing economy undoubtedly has great potential (Airbnb alone had gross booking sales of USD14.4 billion in 2016), but it has only really taken o in short-term rentals and car-sharing. Are we ready for
a universal sharing network?
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