Consumer-controlled digital twin architecture: How blockchain technology gives consumers control over their smart devices’ digital twins and data

Abstract

This article presents Consumer-Controlled Digital Twin Architecture (C2DTA), a novel architecture that aims to empower consumers in the Personal Data Ecosystem (PDE). The hallmark of the architecture is the transfer of the smart device Digital Twin (DT) to the consumer domain, granting consumers de facto control over their data. This paradigm shift hinges on multiple decentralized technologies, chiefly Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI). C2DTA leverages blockchain to manage ecosystem transactions, assets, decentralized identifiers (DIDs), and verifiable credentials (VCs) while enabling decentralized storage. The evolved PDE allows stakeholders to engage in trustworthy and secure peer-to-peer transactions atop DIDs. We present a literature review on the convergence of DT and SSI, including GAIA-X. We provide a comprehensive architecture analysis detailing the integrated technologies and present informed predictions for the market dynamics poised to facilitate the adoption of C2DTA and its impacts on the PDE. The architecture is implemented using Eclipse Ditto and Eclipse Mosquitto as the DT platform, Hyperledger Fabric as the transaction ledger, Hyperledger Indy as the identity ledger, Hyperledger Aries to build decentralized identity software agents, and the InterPlanetary File System for decentralized storage, showcasing a business scenario that tracks the lifecycle of a smartwatch equipped with a heartbeat sensor, from manufacture to purchase, twinning, and resale. Feasibility testing confirms that C2DTA effectively empowers consumers to manage their smart device DTs and associated data. Our evaluation, although limited by the scale of our tests, suggests that the performance impacts of the decentralized infrastructure are within acceptable parameters. Finally, we discuss future research areas.