New technologies should reduce management costs. There are still many open questions.
Anyone who lives in an apartment also lives with a management company. She checks rent receipts, buys heating oil, and makes sure the stairwell is cleaned regularly.
It may change in the future. Scientists and experts from ETH Zurich, ZHAW and the Blockchain Center at the University of Zurich are researching the potential of the latest technologies such as blockchain, sensors, and Web3 applications for property management.
They are backed by international consultancy EY, whose real estate experts are convinced of the potential of blockchain.
Prototype No1s1
To explore new technologies, a team of researchers has built the first prototype of a self-managed space. No1s1 is the name of the tiny house, which in its triangular shape resembles a tent with solar panels attached to the outer walls.
The room provides space for one person to meditate. In order to be able to use the house, you must register and transfer a certain amount as a deposit to your account via the Ethereum blockchain. You will receive a QR code as a receipt, which acts as a key.
Sensors inside the home record when someone enters the room. The light changes color and the stopwatch begins to measure the length of stay. If you leave the room, you will be charged – the shorter the stay, the more money you will get.
open questions
“We learned a lot,” says Una Wang, project manager and doctoral student at the European Institute of Technology. The prototype shows that the interaction of different technologies works and that No1s1 can take care of and manage itself. But there are still many unanswered questions, such as safety and legal aspects.
Another problem is the cost. No1s1 is using a beta version of the Ethereum blockchain, running with play money. This ensures that transaction fees do not get out of hand, as they fluctuate wildly: it is quite possible that you will suddenly have to pay 80 francs for a transfer on the correct Ethereum blockchain. This makes projects like No1s1 impossible, says Florian Spychiger of ZHAW, who supports the project.
exposed to the public
In the next step, officials want to leave the house to themselves and a wider audience — an interesting move, says Florian Spischegger: “We’re curious to see how No1s1 asserts itself, because people are smarter than you think, always finding and using again gaps that nobody would have thought of.” “.
If several people use the room, it should also be cleaned regularly. Ona Wang suggests that compensation in the form of cryptocurrency can motivate people to clean up. Similar to social media, room users can rate the cleaning team’s performance, says Florian Spischiger.
The house thus becomes the DAO, a decentralized and autonomous organization, a community that decides and coordinates via the blockchain. Ona Wang sees it as an interesting alternative to artificial intelligence, which is often associated with dark scenarios.
Much is still open, but Ona Wang has not been discouraged by problems. For them, these are interesting challenges on their way to a future that, thanks to new technologies like blockchain, should be more fair and make living space more affordable.
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