🧭 Fides: Distributed Cyber-Physical Contracts

Publication date: 2021 (© IEEE)

The paper introduces Fides, a lightweight framework that allows self-enforcing contracts to be formulated in natural language. Unlike traditional blockchain solutions, Fides separates payments from contract logic, encrypts all interactions end-to-end, and runs on a low-power peer-to-peer network. This allows both people and devices to enter into cyber-physical agreements without incurring high fees or programming skills. Developers receive an open API, while non-experts can create and automate via templates – paving the way for trust-building, data-saving digitalisation.

Authors / Editors: Lars Creutz, Jens Schneider, Guido Dartmann (Institute for Software Systems, Trier University of Applied Sciences)