WISeKey International Holding Ltd (WISeKey) , a leading Swiss cybersecurity and IoT solutions company, announced that it has partnered with VIMANA Global, headquartered in Redwood City, CA, to secure the VIMANA Blockchain Airspace Platform, the first blockchain airspace platform for managing Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) flight, using WISeKey's Cybersecurity IoT technology.
Through the partnership, the VIMANA Blockchain Airspace Platform will be secured by the WISeKey RooT of Trust (RoT) technology for IoT, a unique offering that combines all the hardware, software, and Trust Model required to take the IoT security to a new level. The WISeKey IoT Blockchain is a vertical security framework, a one-stop-shop security software tool with a user-friendly interface and easy-to-integrate API that manages the life-cycle of devices and their digital certificates. Easy to implement, hard to attack, the WISeKey IoT Blockchain framework offers secure solutions even when the IoT device is in an unsecured environment, such as during production or in the field.
The IoT chips produced and powered with WISeKey's Cybersecurity IoT technology will allow VIMANA to provide end-users with applications designed to increase control over the use of resources, improve efficiency, optimize processing of information, secure autonomous vehicles, and improve public safety.
WISeKey's technology offers the security and scalability VIMANA anticipates it will need as the use of AAV grows. VIMANA's CEO, Evgeni Borisov, recognized the need for Smart Cities around the globe to enact better transportation systems for rapidly expanding populations, while ensuring maximum security and trust. (Click here to view Mr. Borisov's interview at Davos 2018 Gathering of Minds - 
)
In highly congested cities like Tokyo and Singapore, it would be very costly to completely overhaul the existing road and rail infrastructure to accommodate the transportation needs of a rapidly growing population. These cities, which have already invested in innovative technologies, are prime locations for introducing and testing aerial commuter vehicles like VIMANA's Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) AAVs.
As AAV use grows, the main challenge facing implementation of an AAV network is that existing air traffic control towers are not equipped to manage potentially thousands of AAV flights in a given city. VIMANA addresses this hurdle with the launch of the first blockchain-backed airspace ecosystem for managing AAV flight paths.
Blockchain technology is uniquely suited to power VIMANA's Airspace Management Platform because of its capacity to validate data in a peer-to-peer network. Each AAV will be a node in the VIMANA network wherein each node validates the flight routes of all other nodes in the network. This ensures that AAVs do not depend on a centralized authority for determining flight direction. With all nodes maintaining constant communication with one another, passengers can simply plug in their destination and relax as they are transported to their next stop.
"Security and positive identification are the key elements in peer-to-peer exchanges that power the VIMANA Blockchain Airspace platform," says Evgeni Borisov, VIMANA Global CEO. "The combined ecosystems give us the opportunity to potentially support exciting new features in the future." For example, using WISeKey's 'Know Your Customer'-based token enables a fast and simple way for participants to join the VIMANA network.
"By combining WISeKey's Secure Element (our tamper-resistant silicon chip) and its managed Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) systems with the VIMANA Blockchain Airspace platform, we are bringing a powerful solution that increases the level of safety for IoT transportation systems, while ensuring maximum security and trust on the system," said Carlos Moreira, Founder CEO WISeKey.