Microsoft crypto mining patent could be a game changer
A new crypto mining patent by software giant Microsoft could change the way people and the industry views mining operations. By using human body data instead of electrical power, it may revolutionize the crypto industry.
The patent, titled “Cryptocurrency system using body activity data,” aims to reward people with cryptocurrency in lieu of performing physical tasks.
It uses the example of a brain wave or body heat emitted by a user being harnessed to replace computational energy in order to mine new cryptocurrency.
Tasks could include the following, among many others:
- watching a video
- reacting to an advertisement
- using certain internet services offered by providers utilizing the new system
The paper added that this energy can be used as proof of work to come to a consensus and replace current power-hungry methods.
By using human body activity data, the new mining method could also increase the speed and efficiency at which crypto tokens are created.
There would be additional hardware requirements, though, such as devices or sensors to record and relay the “work” performed by people instead of machines.
This would then need to be verified by the algorithms controlling the consensus protocols before any rewards can be issued.
The patent appears purely conceptual at the moment, but it may be a game-changer if it ever goes into production.
