Your brain can mine, Microsoft applies for new cryptocurrency patent

A new patent application from Microsoft details a method for using bodily functions, such as brain activity, to mine cryptocurrency.

The patent, titled “Cryptocurrency system using body activity data,” describes how “brain waves or body heat generated when a user performs tasks from an information service provider (such as viewing an advertisement or using a specific Internet service) can be used for mining.”

By tracking people's brainwaves while they watch ads, Microsoft hopes to use the data as "proof of work," which is how transactions or tasks are verified in blockchain systems, and how money is created in cryptocurrency models.

“Some traditional cryptocurrency systems require a lot of computational work, but the data generated based on the user’s physical activity can serve as proof of work, so users can solve computationally difficult problems without even realizing it.”

To access this verification data, users will need to install a sensor on their body. Microsoft envisions that if users allow their bodies to be monitored in this way, they will be rewarded and paid in cryptocurrency for completing tasks.

In addition to brain waves and body temperature, the patent suggests using "tissue fluid" and "organ activity and movement" to track a range of tasks, including using social media, search engines, emails, visiting websites or using chatbots.

We'll have to wait and see what this patent brings; it was issued a month ago but is still pending approval. Big tech companies still primarily use patents as a means to defend against future copyright infringements rather than turning them directly into products, so we probably won't see this type of product in the consumer space anytime soon.

Link to this article: https://www.8btc.com/article/589793
Please indicate the source of the article when reprinting