When DAOs go IRL, there will be a serious need for physical access control. This project centers around building a device that can gate access to a physical space in a decentralized way. Access should be totally controlled on-chain, and no human custodians should be involved in turning access on/off.

An idea is to use an NFC reader (such as is built into your iPhone) to communicate access rights as represented on the blockchain. In practice, here's how this works:

  1. The user gets access by owning an access NFT.
  2. The user travels to the physical location and waves their phone at an NFC device (with our app open.)
  3. The NFC device requests a private key signature.
  4. The user's device signs the request.
  5. The NFC device verified the user public key and queries the blockchain for their ownership of the correct NFT.
  6. Upon verification, the NFC device sends an electronic signal that [opens gate/unlocks door/etc.]
sequenceDiagram

User->>Device: Request access to physical location
Device-->>User: Prompt for ETH wallet signature
User->>Device: Sign using iPhone NFC writer
Device->>Blockchain: Check that the wallet owns the required NFT
Blockchain-->>Device: Verified: wallet owns required NFT
Device-->>User: Success message
Device-->Device: Open the gate

Real-Life Examples

CityDAO

CityDAO bought a bunch of land in Wyoming. Although they might hire someone to guard and curate access to the land, this isn't really the DAO way. DAO members (owners of Citizen NFTs) should have access. After all, their money was used to purchase the land!

We imagine a literal, physical gate at the entrance to the land. Along side this gate will sit a small, fortified device that contains our technology. DAO members can enter the territory simply by signing via NFC with their smart phone. When CityDAO Citizen NFTs are bought and sold, access to the land changes in real-time. There is no additional custodian. Buying an NFT will literally open the gate.

Crypto Hotel

Imagine a "crypto hotel" where everything is run by a DAO. Sure, we hire maintenance staff (via voting on snapshot.org, paid by the treasury), but rooms are rented via this system. There is no human interaction involved. No cash exchange, no receipts, no record keeping, etc. Everything happens chain-native and instantly. Our treasury simply grows.

If people want to stay at CryptoHotel, they walk in and use their phone to buy a room NFT. They’re able to choose a length of time that the NFT will be active, and the price of the NFT changes based on these parameters. If someone is already occupying a room, that NFT will not be for sale.

We’ll still need some humans involved for a while. If someone overstays their access, someone still needs to get them to leave. We’ll still need a cleaning staff and a concierge. However, these employees can be hired and paid by the DAO.

Using a contrived example:

  1. We place a local ad for a concierge on Craigslist.
  2. A local DAO member is selected via the group (snapshot vote) to interview and on-board this person.
  3. The interviewer takes notes and reports back to the DAO.
  4. Another snapshot vote is used to decide to hire the concierge.
  5. The DAO uses programatic tooling to pay the concierge on a biweekly basis from the treasury wallet.
  6. If there is ever a need to part ways with the concierge, this again happens with a snapshot vote.
  7. As an emergency precaution, we would likely also want to keep a local DAO member “on retainer” to deal with time-sensitive issues that come up.

Decentralized AirBNB