Fixing Nintendo’s Problem: Unlocking a Multi-million Dollar NFC/NFT Authentication Market for the Cardano Ecosystem with Open-Source [Cardano Warriors + dcSpark]

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

Additional applicants

Adrian Neuhaus

Sebastien Guilemot

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” .

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

Project will be fully open source.

[METADATA] Category of proposal

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

Our solution intends to address two aspects for our community, the first is the facilitation for developers to expand the independent development of Hardware using NFC technology, allowing them to explore and interact with the solution, expanding their horizons in the application possibilities over the Cardano blockchain.

The second is a problem of authenticating physical and identity products using an NFT solution linked to the user's wallet. The authentication market for physical products such as collectibles and high value-added products is extremely lacking in security best practices. NFC technology has evolved considerably and has become extremely interesting in this process, as we can see in some initiatives undertaken by the Cardano foundation in this regard. 

( https://twitter.com/JeremyFirsterCF/status/1675227536203350016 )

As we can see in the Cardano Foundation use case recently, the implementation was extremely simple, depending on validation intermediated by a third-party service.

The image above shows that the solution is just a URL recorded in an NFC TAG, a more simplified format in which on-chain validation is outsourced to a second moment. The practical effect is that there is in fact, no direct link to the merchandise and an NFT that can be instantly validated on-chain by reading the tag. Which can lead to security flaws depending on how the whole cycle was implemented.

Today NFC products that allow some authentication on platforms can lose their exclusivity in a very simple way, for this we look at the existing hack tools on the market like FlipperZero and the struggle of big players in the market like Nintendo are going through with the authentication of collectibles that allow interaction with the digital. 

Check how the hack works here in this video: HERE

As seen in the video above, the device can easily copy the content of the NFC TAG and replicate it on the platform, if we are witnessing a gaming giant going through a hard time due to the lack of validation, let alone other solutions that continue to depend on intermediaries to validate.

Our proposal aims to put in the hands of our community the possibility of revolutionizing authentication via NFC/NFT, allowing unthinkable interactions through collectibles and metaverses. Uniting communities in joint actions carried out by multisig transactions directly linked to physical collectibles, raising the level of interaction between the real world and the virtual one.

Imagine you being able to unlock a milestone in a dungeon only after your friends who have a certain item validate their ownership the moment they start the game, through a multisig signature between more than one wallet? It’s very cool and highlights Cardano multisig technology, where a user doesn't even need to sign a contract, very different from other networks. 

The scope of this proposal came from the need that Cardano Warriors sought for the interaction of our metaverse with our NFT certified goods. Unfortunately, we were blocked by the lack of communication from the companies mentioned above. There is no interest from these companies, they are focused on other things and our community is not a priority and we cannot depend on proprietary technologies to expand.

The possibilities of this technology are many, from the obvious case of validating items that carry an embedded tag to authentication on platforms, the ticket system and the open-source Hardware Wallet technology itself. Not to mention the openness to market solutions that giants like Nintendo are struggling to solve.

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

Our proposal easily answers the challenge's main question:

"How do we equip and support developers with tools and working infrastructure?

How do we make Cardano their first choice when it comes to building dApps, innovating and collaborating?"

We support developers with the delivery of an open-source tooling and good documentation for creating NFC-based hardware wallets, becoming yet another option for diversifying wallet services in the ecosystem.

By leading with open-source innovation in the industry and showcasing our community's collaboration to support the development of new technologies and use cases, we have become the first choice for these developers.

In this way, we answer the main question of the Challenge, but we also qualify the proposal with the following questions in the challenge brief and potential directions: 

"What would make a developer motivated to grind through the docs and code no matter how hard it is to create a dApp? What are enterprise dev managers looking for in order to be able to build out enterprise projects, either internal or commercial?"

One thing developers like know is that they have an easy path to deliver something incredible. By opening the doors to this type of innovation, we enrich our ecosystem and become more attractive to DEVs who are willing to grind and deliver amazing experiences. For enterprise dev managers to be able to build, they need quick and fast deploy of proof-of-concepts in order to get the confidence and approval to go forward with a project.

Our proposal includes this proof-of-concept that will help developers to understand how we are executing the application, the application will also have proper documentation. 

As for potential Directions pointed by the Challenge, we can consider the following:

•  Developer productivity: IDE's, scripts to automate processes.
• Our proposal offers and SDK that lines up with increasing developer productivity
•  Knowledge base & Documentation
• This project will become a knowledge base for NFC and NFT authentication and will carry great documentation 
•  Deployment, testing, and monitoring frameworks
• The proof of concept for this project will allow any developer with the hardware resources to deploy and test the application quickly, speeding up the decision making while building on Cardano
•  Samples, recipes and templates
• The proof of concept itself will be the sample and any recipe or template to speed up configuration and deployment will be included in the documentation
• 
  

Finally, on of the final requests of this challenge, metrics for positive impact and notes of encouragement:

-We are advocates of open source and encourage proposers who are planning to do open source projects from day one.

-Community involvement (We’ll host a discord to make easy communication with the team responsible for the GitHub repository.

At the end of all this, we are delivering a solution that can significantly increase the number of transactions in an immersive way. We are contributing to create a thriving ecosystem improving the user experience and leveraging the potential of multi-sig transactions, facilitating for developers to expand the utility of their projects and connecting their communities. On top of all that, this is a open-source research. 

Key Challenge Metrics to measure: At the end of this challenge, we will be asking ourselves: Did we manage to make it easier for developers to build on top of Cardano?

Yes, by adding up the number of the following key metrics:

• Number of API or Developer tools which lower entry barrier for developers in Cardano (This project in specific)
• Number of developers actively building on top of Cardano (Adrian will be a new DEV being onboarded to Cardano technology, as many others on the gaming side.)
• A strong community of developers and proposers with thriving project collaboration. (Discord set for this project)

Increasing number of open source projects (This project in specific)

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

The main benefits of the success of this project for the ecosystem will be:

• To have open-source technology and documentation that was restricted to private actors in the ecosystem.
• To deploy a innovative solution to our community using NFTs as a use case for authentication
• Training and onboarding a highly skilled senior developer to our community 
• The innovation can potentially increase growth of the ecosystem by onboarding a new class of users that care about physical assets validation and authentication
• Milkomeda and PaimaStudio integration

The main metrics that can measure the success of this project will be:

• The successful deployment of the application as a proof of concept for NFC wallet and NFT authentication
• Specific libraries to facilitate mobile development

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

During all phases of the project, we plan to publicly make code available on github, and all team conversations will be open in a specific Discord for this project. We plan to invite other developers to participate and engage with the project to achieve the goal of being an open source collaboration. 

At the end of the project’s deployment as the proof of concept, we plan to explain the potential technology and market opportunities coming in a small seminar for project leaders around the gaming ecosystem and metaverses on Cardano. 

During the seminar, we’ll also explain how our mobile SDK works and how to integrate with mobile wallet applications and any other mobile applications that are capable of handling transactions.

As the expected results from the project start to become more concrete and after doing the seminar, we’ll gather information from project leaders about potential business opportunities and business development around the application. The intent is to provide an opportunity to start integrating the application into other systems and expanding the utilization of the project like a potential open-source Hardware Wallet for our community, given the fact of the recent happenings with Ledger. 

Also, this type of wallet can be very cheap to implement in developing countries, due to heavy taxation and high cost of Hardware Wallet in their native currency, it becomes prohibitive to start with HW in crypto.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

Thiago Nunes

I have several years of experience in developing digital products and managing teams. I ran a marketing agency for more than seven years in Brazil, working with several clients and managing a team with more than 30 contributors, providing services for small businesses, to national and international corporations. I’ve been a Cardano Ambassador for more than five years together with the Cardano Foundation, one of the pioneers in several initiatives in Cardano, including being one of the ITN SPOs running under Ouros ticker, one of the organizers at Cardano Rio/Cardano Summit, and also the Director of Operations at Cardano Warriors.

You can read a short story about myself here: A short story about myself

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thiago-nunes-72b95327/

Adrian Neuhaus

Adrian has a strong background in strategic and technical roles. He has demonstrated leadership, strategic planning, and technical proficiency in an array of projects for Web and embedded systems. These skills will be instrumental in key project milestones, including market research, strategic planning, implementation of the Proof of Concept, stack testing, and documentation.

Adrian's record of accomplishment includes significant software contributions to healthcare education, promotional and corporate websites, mobile apps, and ATM interfaces. These experiences underline his ability to handle complex projects and deliver results. His knowledge of tech standards makes him well-suited to contribute significantly to the development of an SDK that fosters innovation in NFT.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aneuhaus

Sebastien Guillemot

Sebastien is an experienced developer of Cardano Ecosystem, one of the leading developers of the rust library responsible for being the backbone of the earlier wallets on Cardano, creator of the Flint Wallet, and founder of DcSpark, Paima Studios, and Milkomeda.

Linkedin: Sebastien Guillemot

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

Our main goals for this project is to create an open-source repository and SDK that will allow any mobile wallet to integrate with the NFC wallet technology, foster innovation in the ecosystem through NFC and NFTs, that can act like a wallet but can extend to several validation services to merchandise authentication as also user authentication.

We understand our approach is feasible, today we already have the solution gated with private companies like Tangem Card ( https://tangem.com/en/ ) and Keepser (https://www.keepser.com/). 

However, even those companies don’t deliver the full potential of what this technology that our project could become for the Cardano Ecosystem. Having open-sourced competitive and comprehensive tools, give our community more freedom to innovate, from cheaper Hardware Wallets, to merchandise authentication and integration with metaverses through multisig while enriching the knowledge base of the Cardano community. 

This project has different categories of goals to expand and achieve:

• Education
• In order to deliver this project it will be necessary to educate the team through research on NFC technology and Cardano Wallet technology.
• We’ll also need to do research on the authentication aspect of NFTs in the context of NFC wallets
• Product and Service
• Deliver a proof of concept for a Hardware Wallet experience
• Augment the proof of concept with NFT validation aspect
• A mobile SDK to integrate NFC Wallet reader to other mobile applications
• Ecosystem
• The project has the potential to generate and open the debate for a new CIP related to NFC/NFT

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Our project management will use Agile methodologies with daily stand-up meetings and weekly reviews. 

Q1 - Key Event Milestone 1 - Understanding NFC/NFT technology

• Key Point Activities
• Task 1 - Market research report on suitable NFC devices
• Task 2 - Supplier procurement report.
• Task 3 - Preliminary product requirement document NFC/NFT authentication.
• Task 4 - Initial project plan with strategies for achieving MVP.
• Task 5 - Use-case documentation for chosen proof of concept.
• Task 6 - Organizing Catalyst Milestone Reports
• Estimate time to conclude this milestone: (66 Days)
• Tasks: 1 - (7 Days ) 2 - (10 Days ) 3 - (16 Days ) 4 - (19 Days ) 5 - (11 Days ) 6 - (3 Days)
• Expected actions and expected conclusion of this milestone
• Buying equipment and components
• Better understanding of the code architecture
• 
  

Q2 - Key Event Milestone 2 - PoC Development, testing and discovery phase.

• Key Point Activities
• Task 1 - Implementation of Proof of Concept (PoC) for chosen use-case.
• Task 2 - Hardware stack testing (NFC tags, NFC-Mobile interaction, NFC tag writing device).
• Task 3 - Software stack testing (NFC messaging, key cryptography, transaction signing).
• Task 4 - Updated product requirement document based on PoC findings.
• Task 5 - Revised project plan and start of discovery phase for NFT integration.
• Task 6 - Organizing Catalyst Milestone Reports
• Estimate time to conclude this milestone: (66 Days)
• Tasks: 1 - (18 Days ) 2 - (12 Days ) 3 - (15 Days ) 4 - (6 Days ) 5 - (12 Days ) 6 - (3 Days)
• Expected actions and expected conclusion of this milestone
• Gather data and insights for improvement and for the next phase of development.
• Validate the technical feasibility of the chosen use-case.
• Making more informed decisions regarding further development.
• 
  

Q3 - Key Event Milestone 3 - Alpha SDK Mobile Testbed, integration, testing and documentation.

• Key Point Activities
• Task 1 - Research Cardano NFT standards for authentication.
• Task 2 - Refined mobile SDK based on insights from PoC.
• Task 3 - Expanded use-case documentation to include NFT authentication.
• Task 4 - Product documentation for mobile SDK.
• Task 5 - Integration testing reports.
• Task 6 - Release of Alpha SDK Mobile Testbed
• Task 7 - Review project plan and updated product requirement document if needed 
• Task 8 - Organizing Catalyst Milestone Reports
• Estimate time to conclude this milestone: (66 Days)
• Tasks: 1-(15 Days ) 2-(15 Days ) 3-(8 Days ) 4-(6 Days ) 5-(8 Days ) 6-(6 Days) 7-(5 Days) 8-(3 Days)
• Expected actions and expected conclusion of this milestone
• Mobile SDK ready for integration and further testing.
• Initial feedback loop established with selected users.
• Foundation for final development phase and Alpha release.

Q4 - Key Event Milestone 4 - Final SDK and Launch

• Key Point Activities
• Task 1 - Final mobile SDK with improvements based on beta feedback and final integration to support Paima and Milkomeda.
• Task 2 - Comprehensive product documentation including user manual, integration guide, and API references.
• Task 3 - Launch plan including marketing and support.
• Task 4 - Release notes and final project report.
• Estimate time to conclude this milestone: (66 Days)
• Tasks: 1-(25 Days ) 2-(25 Days ) 3-(13 Days ) 4-(3 Days )
• Expected actions and expected conclusion of this milestone
• Successful launch of mobile SDK to the community.
• Establishment of support channels for users.
• Completion of the project with a product that meets user requirements and market standards.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

This project embarks on developing a blockchain mobile software development kit (SDK) and a standard set to facilitate interactions between crypto wallets and near-field communication (NFC) devices for transaction validation, catering to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). In the first quarter (Q1), the project focuses on the discovery phase, which includes identifying suitable NFC devices, securing suppliers, and defining the scope of a Minimal Viable Product (MVP). Additionally, a specific use-case for proof of concept is chosen based on the requirements of the MVP.

Moving into the second quarter (Q2), the focus shifts to developing proofs of concept, incorporating tests for both hardware (NFC tags and their interaction with mobile devices) and software (NFC messaging, key cryptography, transaction signing) stacks. 

As we transition to the third quarter (Q3), insights from the proofs of concept are utilized to refine the mobile SDK, conduct integration testing, expand use-case documentation, and initiate a beta release for testing and feedback. In the final stretch, the fourth quarter (Q4), the mobile SDK undergoes final improvements based on beta feedback, comprehensive documentation is compiled, and a launch plan is executed to successfully release the product to the market, while also setting up customer support channels and gathering feedback and reviews from users. At this final stage will be receiving help from Paima and DcSpark to do the final integrations.

Q1 - Milestone 1

Deliverables:

• Market research report on suitable NFC devices.
• Supplier procurement report.
• Preliminary product requirement document for NFC - NFT authentication.
• Initial project plan with strategies for achieving MVP.
• Use-case documentation for chosen proof of concept.
• Organizing Catalyst Milestone Reports

Outputs:

• Selected NFC devices and suppliers.
• Initial framework for MVP.
• Clear understanding of the selected use-case for proof of concept.

Intended Outcomes:

• Establish the foundation for the development phase.
• Secure suppliers for NFC devices.
• Clear understanding and documentation of the MVP.
• Decision on use-case for the initial proof of concept.

Measurements:

• Completion of market research report.
• Number of suppliers contacted.
• Completion of preliminary product requirement document.
• Completion of initial project plan and use-case documentation.

Q2 - Milestone 2

Deliverables:

• Proof of Concept (PoC) for chosen use-case.
• Hardware stack testing reports (NFC tags, NFC-Mobile interaction, NFC tag writing device).
• Software stack testing reports (NFC messaging, key cryptography, transaction signing).
• Updated product requirement document based on PoC findings.
• Revised project plan and start of discovery phase for NFT integration.
• Organizing Catalyst Milestone Reports

Outputs:

• Functional PoC demonstrating the NFC mobile SDK interacting with NFC devices for crypto transactions.
• Detailed testing reports for both hardware and software stacks.

Intended Outcomes:

• Validate the technical feasibility of the chosen use-case.
• Gather data and insights for improvement and for the next phase of development.
• Make informed decisions regarding further development and scaling.

Measurements:

• Successful completion of PoC.
• Hardware and software stack testing report results.
• Updates made to product requirement documents.
• Revised project plan with next steps

Q3 - Milestone 3

Deliverables:

• Refined mobile SDK based on insights from PoC.
• Explore Cardano NFT standards for authentication.
• Product documentation for mobile SDK.
• Expanded use-case documentation to include NFT authentication.
• Integration testing reports.
• Release of Alpha SDK Mobile Testbed
• Review project plan and update requirement document if needed

Outputs:

• Improved and robust mobile SDK.
• Documentation for integration and new use-cases.
• Feedback from beta testing.

Intended Outcomes:

• Mobile SDK ready for integration and further testing.
• Initial feedback loop established with selected users.
• Foundation for final development phase and Alpha release.

Measurements:

• Successful deployment of mobile SDK to beta testers.
• Number and quality of feedback reports received.
• Completion of integration testing.
• Expansion of use-case documentation and project review

Q4 - Milestone 4

Deliverables:

• Final mobile SDK with improvements based on beta feedback and integration with Paima and Milkomeda.
• Comprehensive product documentation including user manual, integration guide, and API references.
• Launch plan including marketing and support.
• Release notes and final project report.

Outputs:

• Market-ready mobile SDK.
• Complete set of documentation.
• Marketing material for launch.

Intended Outcomes:

• Successful launch of mobile SDK to the community.
• Establishment of support channels for users.
• Completion of the project with a product that meets user requirements and market standards.

Measurements:

• Successful deployment of the final product.
• Launch plan execution metrics (e.g., website hits, download numbers, customer inquiries).
• Feedback and reviews from the market.
• Completion of all documentation and final project report.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Quarterly Budget (Q1 121773 ADA, Q2 121773 ADA, Q3 121773 ADA, Q4 121773 ADA)

Thiago - Project Owner/Manager, Head of Innovation for the project, Cardano Technical Specialist 

-Management, information consolidation, community outreach, and ideation.

(Part Time - $4263,75/month [15791 ADA] | Total for the Quarter: $12791,25 [47373 ADA])

Adrian - Project Software Architect / Developer / Team Manager

-Development, Market Research, Strategic Planning, Documentation

(Full Time - $4263,75/month [15791 ADA] | Total for the Quarter: $12791,25 [47373 ADA])

Sebastien - Project Software Architect / Developer / Advisor / Cardano Technical Specialist

(Part Time - $2432.43/month [9009 ADA] | Total for the Quarter: $7.297,49 [27027 ADA])

Total budget of this proposal: 487095 ADA

All costs related to hardware acquisition, software licensing, shipping and taxation will be deducted and paid by the team from the given amount. The cost of the workforce for this type of project matches the local and global market budget.

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

We carefully considered local market rates, industry standards, and project complexity to establish this budget. It includes freelance rates, project management costs, technical documentation, and community engagement expenses.

This team consists of highly skilled professionals who offer cost-effective services without compromising quality, the rates fall within the lower end of averages for scientific, engineering, and managerial staff. 

The value is set at a level that aligns with the global and local competition in their respective areas, ensuring that the compensation is fair and competitive. However, it is important to note that monetary incentives do not solely drive the participants of this project. We are deeply engaged with the Cardano Community and are motivated to deliver their best performance.

All project participants have willingly accepted the currency risk associated with being paid in ADA, showcasing our commitment and confidence in the Cardano ecosystem. A decrease in ADA price may result in lower compensation, but a rise in ADA price serves as a reward for investing in Cardano, aligning our incentives with the ecosystem's success.

If Project Catalyst funds are awarded, we conclude that this proposal offers excellent value for the Cardano ecosystem. With our expertise, transparent cost breakdown, and the value our project deliverables bring, we are confident in the substantial returns the Cardano community will experience in terms of functionality, innovation, and growth with specialized developers.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.