The Internet of Things integrates the virtual world of computers into real-world applications, leading to better efficiency, economy and an improved quality of life. This requires a huge amount of tiny computers, and this project addresses the challenge of powering those computers in a sustainable manner. Tiny computers can run off harvested energy sources such as solar, vibration and/or temperature gradient. The project objective is to show how such energy-constrained devices can support secure and full Internet connectivity. This can be achieved by reworking the computations leading up to a secure Internet connection and spreading them out over time. The proposed solution aims to use every harvested Joule of energy towards useful computations.
The project builds on insights from three domains, including cryptographic engineering, energy-harvesting technologies, and formal verification. The harvester-friendly version of a cryptographic algorithm is created by partitioning it in pre-computed steps that generate coupons. Coupons are created when there is a surplus energy, and they can be used to speed up online computations at a later phase. The project optimizes cryptography from the standard Internet stack and integrates it with energy-harvester technology. Verification techniques ensure the functional equivalence of pre-computed versions of Internet protocols to their mainstream counterparts. The project contributes to the research agenda in crucial areas such as lightweight cryptography, formal methods, and realization of energy-harvesting systems. The project will disseminate publications, open-source hardware, and software, and it will establish a programming competition to raise the awareness of energy-constraints in the Internet of Things.
