Blockchain

Mission

Doing things differently is not easy but we believe that it’s worth attempting. Our mission is to help organizations and entrepreneurs generate value by appropriating blockchain technologies and challenging the status quo. From digitizing existing processes to finding new sources of growth. We believe technology makes this possible but must be paired with people, learning, knowledge and action.

We welcome researchers, students, private companies, nonprofits and government agencies that want to make blockchain part of their digital transformation or want to conduct research on that area.

 

Projects

BPMN extended blockchain notation – second semester of 2021

Every week, hundreds of people access medical centers where they receive blood transfusions as part of their treatment. It can be a vital part in treating accident related injuries, for those undergoing surgery and those suffering from diseases that affect the blood. However, this process can sometimes present complications especially if a patient has not been properly supervised. For example, a hemolytic transfusion reaction can occur in which the immune system does not accept the blood component that was supplied. These types of posttransfusion situations are known as adverse events. In order to control and mitigate these types of adverse events, strict control must be carried out in all the stages of blood transfusion. Although there are many technologies that could be used to carry out this control, in this research blockchain was chosen because it allows adding visibility, traceability and security to these types of processes that are highly decentralized and involves multiple parties. Blockchain also ensures the integrity of transfusion records and can better guarantee the visibility of those records to those with the required permissions.

As part of the implementation, an extended notation for BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) was created to describe processes that use blockchain related services. With appropriate transformation this extension can be converted to regular BPMN which can then be used with BPMN engines. A final stage of the project was to validate the approach with a proof of concept on part of the transfusion process using the Bonita Engine. The validation showed that the approach is viable and that it might save development time as BPMN engines provide higher levels of abstractions that can be easier to develop.

 

Assessing the viability of DAML in Impreandes 3D – second semester of 2021

Blockchain applications offer a series of quality attributes and characteristics that make them desirable substitutes for some traditional and centralized Software. With them, it is possible to guarantee properties such as transparency, traceability, security, and reliability of information systems without the need for an intermediary or central agent who is the holder of the actual state of the system. However, implementing blockchain systems can be complex. On one hand, smart contracts need to be deterministic, handle blockchain’s immutability, use the available data structures and provide the required levels of privacy and confidentiality. On the other hand interacting with a blockchain network might require a lot of boilerplate code, managing asynchronous and asynchronous messages, and using relatively low level APIs. To address some of these problems and make development easier and faster DAML can be used as an alternative. DAML is a development framework that provides higher level abstractions to interact with a blockchain and it also includes a Domain Specific Language (DSL) to express smart contracts more succinctly.

This project’s objective is to assess the viability of using DAML for the Impreandes 3D project, a distributed application where 3D printer owners can offer their services. To do this part of the Impreandes 3D application was rewritten in DAML, specifically the CNK cryptocurrency module. The result showed that most of the application could indeed be rewritten with DAML, however there are some caveats. First DAML does not allow verifying signatures inside smart contracts, thus other security measures might be required. Second, DAML is a functional language which might require a non trivial time to learn thus migrating to it can be a time consuming endeavor. The following are some images of the end application, developed in under 8 weeks with DAML.

 

Cryptocurrencies and Tokens on Public blockchains – second semester of 2021

Public blockchain backed cryptocurrencies and digital assets are becoming widely adopted because of their unique characteristics. Namely, decentralization, high security and low cost in certain contexts. However, there are still significant technological barriers for their wider adoption. First, most public blockchains are relatively slow, and for transactions with small amounts transactions costs can be prohibitive. Second, exchanging digital assets of different types is desirable but because they can live in different blockchains interoperability can introduce unwanted complexity, costs and additional waiting times. Third, some cryptocurrencies’ value can fluctuate dramatically, which is undesirable. Finally, decentralization should be preserved to maintain high levels of trust but it is a very sensitive characteristic.
The purpose of the research was to analyse current solutions to the aforementioned barriers, their benefits and disadvantages. To ground the results several scenarios were developed in which a stable coin called CNK is used to buy products that are sold with different cryptocurrencies.

From the research results it was found that to increase throughput and reduce times there are several promising layer 2 approaches. Approaches where transactions are processed outside the blockchain and a mechanism is used to secure them using the blockchain. The most notable of which is the Lightning Network, a layer 2 solution for Bitcoin that significantly increases throughput and lowers costs.

To exchange different cryptocurrencies, several approaches were found. Atomic swaps, protocols that permit exchanging different cryptocurrencies even in different blockchains and that have high security guarantees. Decentralized exchanges, where shared pots of funds are set up by the public (liquidity pools), a decentralized algorithm determines exchange prices and smart contracts permit exchanges to occur without a centralized organization. Finally, inter blockchain communication protocols, such as bridges and 2-way pegs.

In principle, several of the aforementioned approaches could be used at the same time to both get the benefits of interoperability and throughput. The following figures show two such solutions.

 

The project was developed with a Colombian Bank that helped to brainstorm and analyze solutions.

 

Securing Additive Manufacturing Processes in ImpreAndes 3D – second semester of 2021

In an additive manufacturing marketplace, such as ImpreAndes 3D, several security concerns have to be addressed simultaneously. Foremost among them is protecting the intellectual property of the designs being manufactured which often involves careful monitoring of the process. A second concern is guaranteeing that the design being printed has not been tampered with. And, a final concern is that prices are fair and havent been arbitrarily changed. To address this, the following peer-to-machine design was proposed:

The figure shows that the first step, left to right, is a user submitting his design to ImpreAndes 3D as a .stl file. This file is then used in the slicing process where the .stl file is converted to the instructions required by the 3D printer, a .gx file, and from which time and cost estimates can be derived. Finally, the .gx file is sent to be printed. Unlike other designs, this proposal minimizes manual intervention. Slicing and price estimations are done in a secure environment inside the system, the printer is controlled by a computer, and public key cryptography in conjunction with blockchain are used to ensure integrity and preserve the privacy of designs. A prototype for the process was made, which showed that there might be room for improvement as some steps, namely post processing and delivery, still require manual intervention.

 

Architecture Refactoring of the ImpreAndes 3D Blockchain Application – second semester of 2021

The ImpreAndes 3D application is a marketplace where users can buy additive manufacturing (3D printing) services. The first prototype version of ImpreAndes 3D was built prioritizing the most important features which lead to the architecture shown in the following figure:

This architecture has six servers (backends) which must coordinate in a complex way. In addition, the architecture was not well documented. To address this, the code was analyzed and the architecture derived. This included, documenting the data view, the deployment view, and the main APIs and services. Later, a new architecture was proposed based on the Andes Blockchain Reference Architecture, and an architecture refactoring was made. This lead to the architecture shown in the next figure:

The new architecture has several advantages. It has a clear division of responsibilities, is easier to deploy, and is conformant to the Andes Blockchain Reference Architecture.

 

ImpreAndes 3D – 3D Printing marketplace – first semester of 2021

Additive Manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a process in which pieces are built incrementally by adding layers upon layers of material. Compared to traditional processes, AM wastes less material, makes it easier to produce complex designs that can be lightweight, and reduces the time from design to production. This feature makes 3D printing very compelling, however for certain organizations it might not make economical sense to buy, maintain and service 3D printers. Instead it would be best if 3D printing could be outsourced.

This is the objective of this project, but in the context of the Los Andes University. At the University students of different departments are given access to 3D printing services, however the process is slow and not very efficient, as funds and permissions are checked manually. In addition, different departments have different 3D printing services, with different rules. To make these 3D printing services work for students of different departments in a more seamless way a system would have to be built that would guarantee that information is secure and that everyone is playing by the same rules. Thus, to address those concerns a prototype was built using blockchain. The prototype, ImpreAndes 3D, stores each student’s funds and lets them 3D print the parts they need. This system could be expanded to include more 3D printing providers and external users, making it a marketplace for 3D printing.

 

 

 

Dematerialization of Digital Securities with Blockchain – first semester of 2021

Most promissory notes have similar requirements and work in a similar way, this suggests that instead of building different systems for each promissory note one could reuse what is common across them to save time and effort. That is the main idea behind this project. Building upon the work done in “Electronic Checks on the Blockchain” and “Virtual Promissory Notes with the Ethereum Blockchain” a new system is built that enables the creation of different types of promissory notes. Additional products of the project were modules that could be reused in other blockchain systems to speed up development, including a module that mediates the interaction with the blockchain.

 

Blood-block: A blockchain based app for hemovigilance support in transfusion services. – second semester of 2020

 

 

Blood banks and transfusion services need to track hemocomponents, blood derivatives, in a comprehensive and secure way. Of special interest are adverse reactions from transfusions that might be linked to a disease or preexisting conditions in the doner. This information is very sensitive and yet would be very useful for preventive efforts where several medical organizations are involved. Because of this, a blockchain hemovigilance system was proposed and a prototype was built for Keralty S.A.S. in Colombia.
Due to its innovative nature, the project followed a Lean Startup methodology inspired by the success of the I-Corps at NIH (National Institute of Health of the United States).
This methodology includes aspects of Business Model Generation, Value Proposition Design, Lean Methodologies and Customer Development. This meant doing several interviews with relevant medical staff to validate and orient the design decisions. The prototype had an event driven architecture and it was built using Hyperledger Sawtooth, NodeJS and ReactJS and Kafka. Blood block could be the first step for communication between different transfusional services on a national scale offering high reliability, security and traceability of hemocomponents. The project was supervised by Dr. Jose Arnulfo, director of the Keralty blood bank.

 

 

 
 

Electronic Checks on the Blockchain – second semester of 2020

 

 

In Colombia physical checks are one of the most commonly used types of promissory notes. However, physical checks have several disadvantages. They can be stolen, damaged or lost. In addition, checking their validity is time consuming, which makes them ideal candidates for several types of fraud. To address these limitations an application was designed and then implemented using the Hyperledger Sawtooth blockchain. The application considered several legal requirements, such as the correct use of signatures, to ensure the stored checks are legally valid.

 

 
 

Virtual Promissory Notes with the Ethereum Blockchain – first semester of 2020

 

 

Currently, promissory notes (or pagarés in Spanish) are one of the most used documents in Colombia. They can be divided into physical or dematerialized promissory notes. A physical note carries some legal insecurities and can be subject to theft or destruction. On the other hand dematerialized notes are generally given by centralized entities that are bureaucratic, which leads to higher costs and longer wait times. For these reasons, our project presents a practical, Blockchain based solution for dematerializing promissory notes built on the Ethereum blockchain. It covers the creation and transfer of these promissory notes without the need of a centralized authority. This directly benefits people and small businesses who want to have their promissory notes, obligations, and loans stored securely at a relatively low cost.

 

 
 

Blockchain based Supply Chain Management System – first semester of 2020

 

In a supply chain several organizations work together to deliver specific products to customers. However, because of a lack of trust and a lack of interoperability most organizations are only aware of a reduced part of the supply chain. This creates uncertainty when problems arise and makes cooperation more difficult, expensive and time consuming. To address this, a generic supply chain management system architecture was designed that uses blockchain technology.

The final design was validated with Cartoflex SAS, a Colombian company. Cartolfex provided insights about their main production processes that were used to build a working prototype. The prototype consisted of a REST API that enabled users to report supply chain activity into the Blockchain System, as well as a data visualization tool to provide full traceability of the supply chain activities and assets.

 

 
 

Blockchain Network Generation Service and Reusable Blockchain Services – first semester of 2020

 

In the University of Los Andes blockchain laboratory thera are different projects that require doing similar deployments and building similar software components. These activities can be done manually but they are time consuming and error prone. Automating these activities was the project’s main objective. In order to do so, a set of scenarios were developed which would permit a developer to express his system needs in terms of infrastructure and services. In addition a DSL (Domain Specific Language) based on JSON was developed to capture the same information as the scenarios but in a machine readable way. Finally, a code generation tool was created that would permit developers to automatically produce software, configuration files and deployment scripts to deploy the system. As part of the code generation tool, a reusable off-chain server and inverse-oracle were made. The off-chain server can store files that are too big for the blockchain and the inverse oracle is used to notify external systems when events have occurred on the blockchain.

The developed tools were used in two projects. In these projects, less code had to be written, and the deployment, which required more than 12 servers, was easier and faster. Before a manual deployment could take several days but with the tool it only took a couple of hours.

 

 
 

High-level Gamification Engine as a Service with Blockchain to Increase Customer Loyalty in Early-Stage Companies – first semester of 2020

 

Early-stage companies with high growth potential (startups) have in common a problem regarding liquidity due to their high burning-rate that ends up breaking them. In addition, current loyalty systems are developed by each company, which implies cost additions and code repetition, there is no standard solution as a service that makes this process efficient and adaptable to different business models. Gamificat.io is a proposed platform that makes it easier for partner companies and their users to engage in personalized dynamics to offer their products or services in exchange for an incentive and thus make them visible to new potential customers, generate loyalty and increase their income.

Blockchain is the centerpiece of this project because, in a transactional channel between completely different companies, both they and their users need to be certain that they play by the same rules. By using smartcontracts to define business rules, it is impossible to alter the operation of these, since at each node of the block network there is a copy of this contract. In addition, in certain scenarios it is necessary to carry traceability of transactions, which can be easily achieved with this technology.

 

 
 

Implementing Digital Securities with Blockchain – 2020

 

This was one of the selected proposals for the call for projects in Innovation in Law and Technology (Convocatoria Bolsas para la Innovación en Derecho y Tecnologías), November 2019, of the Law Department at Universidad de los Andes.

In Colombia, digital securities exist because there are regulations that enable them and there is a network of people and organizations that support them (DIAN, MInCIT, Superfinanciera, BVC, sellers and customers). However, cooperation in this network is limited because of current systems that are divided and have limited interoperability. These limitations might be solved with blockchain. In contrast to other systems, blockchain is decentralized, transparent, and enables fast transactions that require a high level of trust. Blockchain might make transactions involving digital securities cheaper, make them more secure and permit better regulatory monitoring.

The project aims at researching the use of blockchain for digital securities by building prototypes that consider users’ needs, technology and law.

 
 

Blockchain in Healthcare – second semester of 2019

 

In partnership with IBM and ProCibernética, a system integrator two scenarios in the healthcare sector are being worked on. The first scenario is concerned with Colombia’s blood deficit, only 91.7% of blood demand was satisfied in 2017, dropping to almost 60% in some departments, and almost 10% of the donated blood is incinerated by preventable causes (Instituto Nacional de Salud, 2017). The second scenario is electronic health records, in Colombia the sixth leading cause of death is adverse effects of medication (Casallas, 2017) and 180,000 hospitalized patients in Colombia die annually due to medical errors (El Espectador, 2016). A specific objective of this project is to prove that blockchain applications can be used to solve real problems in the Colombia healthcare sector by building functional prototypes to address those two scenarios.

Casallas, J. C. G. (2017). Safety of the Patient from the Medication. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 5, 13-19.
El Espectador. (2016). Al año, 180.000 personas que son hospitalizadas mueren a causa de errores médicos – ELESPECTADOR.COM. Retrieved September 12, 2019, from https://www.elespectador.com/noticias/salud/al-ano-180000-personas-son-hospitalizadas-mueren-causa-articulo-632214
Instituto Nacional de Salud (2017). INFORME ANUAL RED NACIONAL DE BANCOS DE SANGRE Y SERVICIOS DE TRANSFUSIÓN, COLOMBIA 2017.

 

Team Second Semester of 2021

 

 

Team First Semester of 2021

 

 

Team Second Semester of 2020

 

 

Team First Semester of 2020

 

 
 

Team Second Semester of 2019