Introducing MuleChain
With months of intensive collective efforts by our dedicated team members, we are proud to introduce MuleChain, the distributed P2P logistics platform which will enable developers to create a broad variety of logistics apps which will allow for new types of p2p networks that request and transport items with very low risk (with a low level of involvement from a central authority). MuleChain powered Apps will require each actor to have “cryptocurrency collateral” in the form of MCX Tokens in order to perform requests or deliveries. The token use allows MuleChain to be built in a way that ensures trust is inherent in the system and enforced by smart contracts.
Imagine…
- Postal services operating in places where they do not yet exist!
- Human logistics networks being deployed overnight to face natural or human disasters.
- Public transport services becoming job providers for the unemployed.
- International travelers financing part of their trips by acting as carriers for others.
To work with Uber, one needs to own a car. To work with Airbnb, one needs to own a place. To work with MuleChain, one will only need a bicycle, subway token, train pass, or an airline ticket.
That means anyone using MuleChain powered Apps will be able mobilize third-party vehicles, bicycles, walkers, local commuters, cross-border travelers on the ecosystem.
We plan on releasing an app that will feature some of the capacities of MuleChain by Q3 2018, the app will be called MuleChain Routes. It will enable a broad range of delivery options by matching requesters of deliveries with people who want to earn and have itineraries that match. It will allow anyone travelling to earn incentives by performing a delivery function, along with connecting at a personal level with others on the network.
In the long run, we hope that MuleChain Routes will inspire developers to use the MuleChain APIs to create a broad range of apps. Ultimately, our mission is to reach out to the underserved majority of the world’s population, especially in many developing countries in South America, Africa and Southeast Asia.
Eventually, MuleChain could provide an improved alternative to the many current national postal package deliver services in those countries via this new distributed peer-to-peer systems where trust is guarded by blockchain technology.
Users who download the MuleChain Routes App will have the choice available to act as requesters, mules or pack stations:
Requesters can create requests for local or international products that they would like picked-up and delivered. They will be able to use the App or the API to publish requests for “Mules” to carry their packages.
Mules who’s itineraries match requests, will receive an alert and can easily submit proposals to the requester. Once the “Mule” & “Requester” agree on the terms and provide enough collateral, the delivery becomes active.
MuleChain Routes will provide helpful tools to both sides needed to execute the delivery and the transaction in an easy, secure and comprehensive way.
After the delivery is successful, the smart contract will release the appropriate amount of Tokens to each party.
Mules get paid in MCX but also need to hold an appropriate number of MCX equal to the value of the package they are carrying. This ensures that they will deliver the package on time and in good quality.
There will also be opportunities for independent individuals who can use their under-utilized living space to set up on the MuleChain platform to act as a “Pack Station” to earn income for themselves.
Pack stations serve two purposes: relay stations or warehouses. Several pack stations can be used throughout the supply route of a package. Pack stations need to hold an appropriate number of MCX as collateral of equal value as the packages they are holding and are incentivized by receiving a cut of the delivery.
Each pack station will be able to set their own fees to compete with others, and will also to offer complimentary services such as added security, refrigeration etc.
On the technical side of things, Pack Stations are very important, similar to drop off points of large providers, they will make the network effective.
Under a Requesters+Mules only system it’s more challenging to match itineraries because the timing has to match as well. Pack stations take time out of the equation; allowing more matching possibilities and empowering multi-mule routes.
Thanks to blockchain technology it is now possible to transact digital data and assets without the need for a trusted third party, allowing for the creation of cryptocurrencies. This new technology is revolutionary in the context of building p2p logistics systems because it allows built-in collateral which along with smart contracts, holds both parties accountable. This eliminates the need for most of the trust required between the parties.
In the case of MuleChain, we are initially releasing the platform as a hybrid of centralised and distributed architectures, each part performing at what they do best. We took the decision to go with the NEM blockchain for now as it offers most of the characteristics we need for MuleChain to function.
As for the MuleChain Routes App we are designing it in such a way that it’s simplistic to allow multiple types of deliveries.
At the same time we are working hard to make the app intuitive & easy to understand, we hope to be one of the leading apps when it comes to being an example of how to bridge traditional apps and cryptocurrencies.
For the future of MuleChain, we envision national, supranational and sector specific nodes that would be operating almost completely autonomously from the Mulechain HQ. They would be assisted by AI using the platform’s real-time data to dynamically send suggestions to all the parties.
Theses would take the form of masternodes or supernodes, whose operators would sponsor and would be entitled to a portion of the profit from a given territory, sector or type of package. In return, they would be required to provide security and additional services to their part of the network. Each organisation would compete with each other and self-govern. As the community support would shift, nodes would have more sway and funding to further grow their network.
We hope this vision will support a large P2P delivery community, giving millions an accessible way to earn a revenue and ultimately reduce costs as well as expand and solidify existing logistics networks.
In the same way that the Internet has facilitated the global equalization of knowledge and information dissemination, new types of p2p logistics platforms will allow the transport of products and valuable items to their destinations with near-zero risk, creating a new wave of equalization of pricing and availability of goods.
The MuleChain token, named MCX, will be used to access services on the platform. Token owners will be able to spend and earn MCX in multiple ways through the time-stamping of transaction time into the distributed ledger part of MuleChain.
This setup allows users to trade items, contracts and payments directly from one party to another without the need for institutions such as large carrier companies, financial institutions, insurance companies, and governments etc. The roles of these institutions is integrated within the platform and managed by smart-contracts, which act as fair, incorruptible, and fully automated intermediaries.
The development road-map features the deployment of MuleChain in beta format by August 2018 and the release of MuleChain Routes soon after in a test market. Although we drafted a deployment plan for MuleChain Routes in 75 cities within 5 years, we invite our community to pre-register for the app so that we can better understand where the demand is and adjust our deployment plans accordingly.
The strategy with MuleChain Routes, in the beginning, will be to focus on establishing strong cross-border mule routes, because there is much less competition there and it will allow us to build and season the app before we move on to compete with existing businesses in regional deliveries.
In terms of deployment, apart from the US and China, we have also set up 10 other peripheral countries around the world with regional directors to help with the promotion of MuleChain within developers circles as well as the launch and management of the MuleChain Routes App.
With regional directors developing the local business plans in each country, we will be able to execute these business plans immediately after our launch.
Would you like help revolutionize the logistics industry to serve the underprivileged majority of the world’s population? Would you like to be a mule, pack station operator, requestor, regional operator, or contribute to the project? Connect with us and stay up to date on how you can be a part of our mission.
- Subscribe to email updates on the development of MuleChain. Once the beta version of MuleChain Routes is announced you’ll be the first to know.
- Join the MuleChain related discussions on Telegram. We’re always open to suggestions, resources and contributions. You can also use this form to send feedback directly to the team.
- Follow MuleChain on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.
We owe significant due credits to many hard working members of our team to put all these excellent efforts together. Please feel free to contact them if you have any particular questions regarding our mission.
