Gear Protocol integrates with Robonomics IoT devices to accelerate usage and education of Blockchain technology

The Robonomics team showcased their first lineup of devices, "Hardware for Cyberpunks 2025" in Bangkok. One of the featured devices is the Hikikomori Tamagotchi—an excellent educational project! By studying how Hikikomori operates, users can learn to send transactions directly from devices costing under $10 to a web3 cloud. Using interaction examples with the Robonomics or Vara / Gear.exe, users can also gain experience in managing a device's digital twin.

Starting next year, Gear Protocol will integrate the Tamagotchi example into Gear.exe - a bridgless solution designed to supercharge Ethereum dApps - and the Hikikomori device will be used in their University workshop classes worldwide!

Hikikomori Overview

The Hikikomori project combines software and hardware to act as a digital pet integrated with your smart home system, resembling a Tamagotchi but with a twist. Instead of traditional gameplay, it’s linked to your smart home setup through Home Assistant, where each interaction with your home or an automated action increases Hikikomori's "happiness" level. This digital pet also connects with the Robonomics and Vara networks, giving it a unique "soul" within the Web Ecosystem. Periodically, Hikikomori updates its digital state in Robonomics, with example code available here.

Integration with Vara Network

By utilizing Vara Network - a Layer 1 Blockchain with parallel data processing for deep scalability - Hikikomori becomes a specialized Tamagotchi, that will utilize logic that calculates its happiness level through computations within a smart contract. The Tamagotchi smart contract on Vara, designed for happiness tracking, can be found here.

Testing on VARA and the Transaction

The code has been tested using a basic scenario where the Hikikomori device sends messages to the Vara network to increase its happiness level. An example of this scenario and related code can be viewed here. You can also view the testing transaction output on the Polkadot.js Portal:

Transaction hash in VARA block № 11891410:0xb07dc6d65cb2ab972e8bd372285a51897f0d54d6b05609367f54dcea166de56d

This innovative project allows you to engage with your digital pet in ways that blend automation, IoT, and blockchain, creating a fun and meaningful addition to your smart home.

Find out more about Gear at gear-tech.io and Vara at vara.network