Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Powered by

Block-chain: A Study on Unleashing Potential

Abstract
In the present scenario, both Block-Chain and Internet of Things (IoT) are considered as
the buzz words in the digital world. For the purpose of decentralized transaction Block-Chain
serves as a database. It focuses on storing and managing the data, whereas IoT enables the
provision of information through internet among the interconnected machines or devices.
Industrial IoT (IIoT) is a technology which offers a significant contribution in the manufacturing
sector thus by enabling the devices or equipment’s, advances and data. IIoT is achieved by
integrating the Block-Chain and IoT by the incorporation of data from real world and its efficient
storage and management of those data. This technology is also known as BIIoT – since it is a
combination of both Block-Chain and IIoT. Challenges like vulnerabilities in security and privacy,
decentralization, single-point of failure and other trust issues present in IoT. To address all these
challenges that are present in IoT, Block-Chain provides the opportunity to overcome those
shortcomings. The aim of this article is to provide a brief study of Block-Chain enabled IoT and
IIoT. Applications are further discussed in detail with various areas of interest along with the pros
and cons. Research insights are also reviewed in this article.

Keywords:

Block-Chain, Internet of Things (IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Industry 4.0

1.Introduction:

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an effective Internet and management environment that work
together to create a world that is intelligently interconnected.IoT allows users to broadcast their
data to the server when used intelligently. IoT is used in many different contexts, such as
corporations, industries, environmental engineering, mobile devices, and governance. IoT is also
used to help a number of industries, including transportation, healthcare, agriculture, energy, and
environmental management. Additionally, IoT can support a number of commercial initiatives in
the fields of services, manufacturing, logistics, and food production.The Industrial Internet of
Things (IIoT) has received a great deal of attention from academics and business, which may play
a big role in the impending conversion of industrial schemes. Industry 4.0 devotes a lot of
discussion to the industrial IoT, and IIoT is also widely debated in academic and governmental
circles. The key distinction between IoT and IIoT is that although IIoT is typically used in
applications like smart factories and smart manufacturing, IoT environments typically contain a
variety of automation equipment and industrial devices.

With the help of actuators, sensing devices, a pervasive network, and processing power, IIoT
brings intelligence and connectivity to industrial systems. Implementing IIoT is intended to
increase manufacturing efficiency and business productivity, lessen device downtime, and raise
the calibre of the final output. Specifically, IIoT features the following traits: Decentralisation of
IIoT systems, a variety of IIoT applications and schemes, heterogeneity of IIoT information, and
network strain are the first two.

The likelihood of addressing the cited IIoT difficulties increases with advancements in blockchain
technology.Bitcoin's core technology is blockchain . Blockchain enables software programmes to
send and receive communications or store transactions using a trustworthy and widely used (peer-
to-peer) manner. Blockchain is being quickly embraced and is mostly used for distributed storage
, applications involving smart contracts, and digital assets. The Blockchain in IIoT capable
applications include recording actions (such as humidity, heat, or location deviations) and
generating block challenge ledgers that are understandable only to specified participants, such as
individual contributors throughout a supply chain.Blockchain technology has evolved from an
impractical method to a dependable method of solving problems.

Blockchain 2.0 is related to automatic digital economics using smart contracts, while Blockchain
1.0 is generally related to cryptocurrencies and expense (for example, Bitcoin) [53,57,85,101]. The
focus of more recent Blockchain 3.0 work is on meeting the demands of the digital world, such as
Industry 4.0's concerns with smart cities. The IoT continuously energises Industry 4.0[60].
Industry 4.0, as defined by the German government, was widely embraced by both academia and
business in 2011. An associated idea is industrial IoT (IIoT). Though one may regard IIoT as an
improvement of IoT, it also involves a further focus on IoT use in industry.Additionally, Industry
4.0 is frequently associated with ethical manufacturing workplace groups.
The blockchain's internal secular and spatial data can be found and verified via traceability .
Additionally, each data block stored within a blockchain has a suitable timestamp added to it,
assuring data discovery .

Interoperability can exchange data with IIoT equipment and interact with physical equipment .
Interoperability within the blockchain-composite layer can be achieved by building an overlay
peer-to-peer (P2P) network on top with constant access across different IIoT schemes.

The potential for IIoT to cooperate without interference from a trusted third party (TTP) is
discussed in autonomous interactions. Blockchains enable smart contracts to attain this autonomy.
Particularly, contract clauses encircled by smart contracts will be routinely enforced after a specific
circumstance is met.

1.1 Objective

Cloud-Based Manufacturing (CBM) is the newest on-demand production paradigm that enhances
IoT technologies.CBM enables constant, appropriate, whenever-needed network access.to a
distributed pool of adaptable production resources that might be promptly provided with a
minimum of service provider management effort or contact. In this survey, a decentralised, peer-
to-peer industrial Internet of Things system called BIIoT is proposed.The BIIoT system functions
as a crucial CBM operator, enhancing the usability of earlier CBM systems, notably to integrate
legacy store floor equipment in cloud environments. Additionally, CBM allows for on-demand
access to production resources, necessitating the employment of trustworthy intermediates in
business dealings between users looking to hire production services.

Even though BIIoT can complement IIoT, a number of obstacles need to be overcome before it
can be successfully implemented and its potential fully realised. As a result, the purpose of this
article is to offer a thorough overview of the architecture that addresses difficulties and explores
BIIoT-related research issues.

1.2 Contributions to the Survey and Comparison with Related Survey Articles

The pairing of blockchain with IIoT is discussed in a number of published articles. For instance,
Wen et al. describe a blockchain-based information distribution system for Supply Chain networks
using IIoT. The system connects IIoT nodes to the blockchain, monitors IIoT nodes, and uses smart
contracts to store concurrent data within the network. In addition, a blockchain-based supply chain
design is suggested. The suggested design proposes supply chain collaboration options that link
various commodities.An information system for fine-grained distribution is proposed inside this
supply chain concept.

Le and Kang have proposed an energy blockchain secure power business strategy by utilising the
consortium blockchain approach. By eliminating a middleman, this kind of blockchain is
frequently employed in global P2P power buy and sell enterprises.Additionally, the researchers
have suggested a credit-based fee structure to promote short-term and ongoing power buy and sale
by enterprises in order to lessen the contract restriction impacts from contract verification
slowdowns on the energy blockchain.Teslya et al.'s summary of blockchain platforms utilised in
Industrial IoT is available at . The researchers analyse the most popular consensus methods as well
as the distinctive characteristics of public (permissionless) and private (permissioned) blockchains.

The authors have proposed a storage space arrangement based on a hierarchical blockchain with
ChainSplitter, where the majority of the blockchain is stored in the clouds. The underlying
network, the various IIoT networks, houses the first new blocks. The ChainSplitter seamlessly
connects native IIoT networks to the blockchain overlay network, enabling cloud communications
through two connectors: the blockchain and the connectivity for the cloud.A deep reinforcement
learning (DRL) system based on blockchain-enabled IIoT has been presented by Liu et al. The
proposal's three goals are as follows: establishing a policy for evaluating the system using its
decentralisation, scalability, security, and latency ; improving the basic blockchain's measurability
without affecting the system's latency; Additionally, Silva et al conducted research on the fusion
of Blockchain with Industry 4.0. The application of blockchain technology with IoT for a complex
and cyber-resilient automobile industry has been examined by Fraga-Lamas et al. A review of the
uses, modifications, difficulties, and risks of the Blockchain approach in the gas and oil sector has
been suggested by Lu et al. A blockchain technique survey that pertains to smart cities has been
proposed by Xie et al. The survey of trade supply chain resolutions was suggested by Juma et al.
Additionally, Soni has scheduled a review on the urgency of blockchain within the context of IoT
in the healthcare setting.
One aims to (i) present a conceptual preamble on IoT, IIoT, and blockchain through the analysis
of prior work, (ii) provide a detailed examination on the viability of integrating IIoT into
blockchains, and (iii) provide perceptive consultations on how to address technological challenges
while implementing BIIoT. The contributions are summarised here in brief:

1) An outline of the key elements of IoT was given in the introduction. Additionally, a summary
of IoT difficulties is provided.

2) In addition, a concise overview of IIoT is given, along with a list of its main properties.

In addition, the IIoT research problems are also listed.

2. Overview of the Internet of Things

The term "Internet of Things" (IoT) refers to a collection of "things" that are comprised of software,
electronics, actuators, and sensors and connected to one another via the web in order to exchange
information . The IoT nodes are made up of processing power and sensor devices to be present
and common in numerous industries. The smart city , smart home , healthcare and medical
instruments , smart grids, linked cars, and other generic IoT applications are all shown in Fig. 1.
IoT home automation refers to the capacity to automate household appliances using digitally
controlled, network-connected systems. tion, and uphold the purity and safety of the populace.The
Smart Grid is a component of an IoT system that can monitor and control anything remotely,
including lights, after that.

As a result of severe weather and earthquakes, traffic signs, traffic congestion, parking, and
predictions of things like electricity influxes are all affected. IoT devices with sensors are used to
track the whereabouts in real-time of medical equipment like wheelchairs, oxygen concentrators,
defibrillators, and other security tools. Forecast maintenance is one of the automotive IoT's best
promises. The technology gathers performance information from the connected car's chips and
sensors, which can then be analysed in the cloud and predicted before repair is needed.

According to a 2013 research from the International Data Corporation (IDC), the market for IoT
equipment is expected to grow quickly to 41 billion units by 2020 and reach a value of $8.9 trillion
. The absence of human responsibility distinguishes the Internet of Things from traditional internet
usage . IoT nodes can generate data on a person's activity, analyse it, and choose the best course
of action. IoT services have made it possible to increase human existence and quality of life.
However, when extracting human interface data via IoT devices and sensors, confidentiality and
data protection are of the utmost importance. IoT Obstacles: Battery life and streamlined
computational needs are the two criteria that IoT devices must meet above all else.

Duration of a battery

Many IoT nodes are positioned in remote areas of the natural world without access to power. The
nodes only have a limited amount of power to carry out the intended function and necessary safety
commands, which often deplete the node's battery power. There are three practical solutions to the
battery life issue. The most crucial technique is to use the minimal amount of security requirements
on the node, which is not advised, especially when handling sensitive information . The second
strategy involves increasing the battery's capacity.The majority of IoT nodes are planned and
constructed to be lightweight and of small volume, which leaves less room for a larger battery.The
last technique obtains sufficient power from natural sources (such as heat, light, wind, and
vibration).

The difficulty of confidentiality and safety

Although the safety solutions now being utilised in the web are deemed to be profitable and viable,
applying them to IoT will not result in the desired results for the following purposes:

a. Nodes typically lack the computing power needed to carry out complex security measures.

b. Nodes used in many IoT systems might not be physically protected, leaving them open to
malicious users.

c. It may not always be possible to join via a node. For instance, a node might be moving to go
into "sleep mode" to conserve power or it might be mobile and not accessible right now.

The sustainability challenge

With "conventional" processing nodes, customers can learn to change or enhance them, but this is
typically not the case with IoT devices like their oven, refrigerator, or car. However, IoT update
cycles raise questions about how such nodes would hold up in a connected society. Will the nodes,
for example, improve their OS over time, or will one end up with a segmented network made up
of outdated, unsafe devices?

A node is also a component of advanced communication or a distant installation node that replaces
complex, expensive, or impractical methods when installing IoT instances. For instance,
temperature and earthquake sensors with fire alarms, as well as contaminant discovery sensors, are
routinely installed during the construction of a building or a river bridge.

The difficulty of the trust approach

The improved communication opportunities between the virtual and real worlds are maybe the
most important improvement brought forth by the Internet of Things . The Internet of Things (IoT)
has been conceptualised to include common machines as nodes, which will greatly alter the course
of our lives. A reliable technique is sought to enable successful and fruitful communication
between these nodes with little or no interference from individuals. The system must take into
account valid sensor and actuator performances, which occasionally occur during severe crashes.
It also has to permit communications and novel reward and responsibility techniques.

3.IIoT difficulties

With the aid of various software systems, actuators, and sensors used to detect and gather data
from the physical surroundings and, subsequently, generate actions using devices, the IIoT ensures
the connection of various things.The particular properties of IIoT give birth to several research
problems.Recent improvements in information and communication technology (ICT) have helped
to overcome several inherent constraints of the IIoT. For instance, interactions with ambient
backscatter can help IIoT devices and increase power.Additionally, by shifting the process-
intensive tasks to edge servers, mobile edge computing can increase the functionality of the IIoT
device. Additionally, current advancements in blockchain technologies bring difficulties including
inadequate interoperability, safety and cofidentiality vulnerabilities.

4. Blockchain technologies overview

4.1 Blockchain

A distributed ledger that spreads throughout the entire distributed system is referred to as a
blockchain. With decentralised permission, blockchains can enable contracts to take place and
validate collectively distributed things. Blockchains can therefore perform decentralised contract
confirmation, which greatly lowers the cost and operational traffic at the central organisation .
Additionally, as every node in the network keeps a record of the completed transactions inside the
blockchain, all transactions saved in blockchains are impenetrable . Meanwhile, cryptographic
techniques ensure the integrity of the data blocks inside the blockchain. As a result, the blockchains
can ensure that communications are not lost. All contracts can also be tracked thanks to the
significant timestamp that was assigned. Blockchain is made up of neatly organised parts called
blocks that have headers with transaction information. By using a predecessor's hash, all block
headers and other metadata are reflected by its predecessor. Within the initial block known as the
genesis block, which has no predecessors, the first position is hard encoded. Transactions on
Ethereum and Bitcoin are hashed using Merkle Trees. A blockchain instance with blocks and
repeated chains is depicted. Through a converse suggestion, which is essentially the parent block
hash value, every block in a blockchain points to its immediately previous block (referred to as the
parent block). For instance, block i contains the block i - 1 hash.

1) Block version: Indicates the block validation rules that are intended to be followed.

2) Hash of Parent block: This represents the 256-bit hash value of the first block.

3) Merkle tree root hash: This holds the hash values for each transaction contained within the
block.

4) Nonce: This is a 4-byte value that typically starts with 0 and rises for all hash calculations.

5) Timestamp: which starts on January 1st, 1970, and has time in seconds in UTC.

6) A true block hash point threshold is nBits.

4.2. Consensus algorithms

One benefit of blockchain techniques is to verify the trustworthiness of the block in decentralised,
trustless environments that just need the authorization of a trusted third party. However, a
consensus is required in distributed contexts. The agreement may also be biassed in favour of
wicked devices, therefore it must be obtained on a newly constructed block . Consensus methods
are often used to achieve this assurance of trustworthiness in decentralised systems . Practical
Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT), Proof of Stake (PoS), and Proof of Work (PoW) are common
consensus algorithms. Consensus algorithms are an essential piece of the puzzle for effective
blockchain operating rules since they safely update duplicated distributed conditions.

4.3. Working flow of blockchains

This Shows a functional instance of the blockchain. Consider a money transfer as an illustration.

The first step is the cash transfer from Person A to Person B.

Step 2: They primarily use their Bitcoin wallet to begin the contract at a system [66]. The
transaction comprises the recipient's address, the sender's wallet, and the total amount of currency.

Online, the transaction is shown as a "block."

The block is broadcast to every node and party in the network in step three.

Step 4: Network members who confirm the transaction's validity.

Step 5: After that, a verified transaction is added to the chain of contacts' top, creating a new block
inside the blockchain.

The money finally transfers from A to B in step six.

5.Smart Contract
Smart contracts are programmable programmes stored inside the blockchain that regulate
transactions using specific circumstances. Different businesses and stakeholders have shown
interest in smart contracts built on top of blockchain technology, which has led to the technology
being embraced due to its advantages by enabling the automation of verifiable and enforceable
digital processes between the parties involved. Therefore, smart contracts are the electronic
equivalent of traditional financial contracts between different members that have been
appointed.Conventional contracts are forced by centralised approving organisations; a blockchain
system does not require authorising intermediaries to make sure that the restriction during a smart
contract is met.

Because smart contracts actually have their own blockchain accounts with their own addresses of
blockchain, they are commonly referred to as "independent agents."
Therefore, the contract may take ownership of tokenized assets while designating the contributor's
employment to fulfil the predetermined winning criteria. Therefore, the Smart contract has the
potential to revolutionise various industries such as IoT and financial services.Within a blockchain
network, smart contracts are widely utilised to carry out and expand purposes, including:

1) Permitting automatic transactions that are started by taking particular actions. This feature can
take many different forms, such as transactions that automatically transmit at predetermined
intervals or transactions that transmit in response to previous transactions.

2) They allow "multi-signature" transactions, where a transaction is only distributed after a

required or popular participant percentage verifies to sign it.

3) Allowing storage of specific application data, such as membership records, boolean values, or
list statuses.

4) They make other people's smart contracts useful.

For instance, inheritances are frequently included in Ethereum's smart contracts, where a single
contract can refer to the goals specified therein.

6. Blockchain System Taxonomy

Three categories of blockchains are recognised: public, private, and consortium blockchains [86].
With permissionless public blockchains, everyone can participate in the distribution of new blocks
and use of blockchain data. Decentralised is how public blockchains are described since everyone
can keep a copy of the blockchain by working together to confirm new blocks.All nodes in the
network are a part of permissioned blockchains, which are private blockchains. Private
blockchains are dedicated to a single company and utilised as a coordinated, distributed database
for hosting data exchanges between different people or departments. Blockchains used by
consortiums resemble private blockchains almost exactly.It is a network with permissions.
Consortium networks connect many different organisations and let participants communicate
clearly.

6.1. Chances of combining IIoT with blockchain

IIoT systems must overcome a number of obstacles, including poor interoperability, heterogeneity,
resource limitations, confidentiality concerns, and security flaws. Blockchain technologies can
balance IIoT systems by enhancing confidentiality and safety while also enhancing
interoperability. Blockchain can also make the IIoT system more dependable and quantifiable.
BIIoT is the name given to the result of combining blockchain and IIoT.

7. BIIoT architecture

This architecture uses the blockchain-composite layer as a middleware between IoT and industrial
applications. There are two significant benefits to this design: Providing an idea from the IIoT's
foundation layers and offering users blockchain-based services are examples of the first. The
blockchain-composite layer in particular separates the heterogeneity of the lower levels. On the
other hand, the blockchain-composite layer offers numerous blockchain-based services as well as
the required application programming interface (API) to support diverse industrial applications.As
a result, the idea realised through the blockchain-composite layer can assist remove the complexity
of establishing industrial applications.The descriptions of the five sublayers of the blockchain-
composite layer are also shown.The following layer sub-scheme is included in a typical IoT
infrastructure and framework (from bottom to top).

The perception layer allows various Internet of Things (IoT) devices to sense and collect data from
their immediate surroundings. These devices include actuators, sensors, RFID tags, controllers,
and smart metres.

Communication Layer: To build an industrial network, many IoT devices can connect utilising
WiFi Access Points (APs), IoT gateways [49], macro BS, and small base stations (BS). Several
communication protocols, including Near Field Communications (NFC), Bluetooth, Wireless
Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (WirelessHART), Low Power Wide Area Networks
(LPWAN) techniques with LoRa, Sigfox, industrial Ethernet, and Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), are
capable of connecting IoT sensors.Industrial Applications: A variety of industrial applications can
be broadly maintained using IoT. The food sector, manufacturing, smart grid, and supply chain are
among the common industrial applications.

7.1 Deployment of BIIoT

Even though it is difficult to save the whole blockchain at IIoT nodes due to imitation IIoT nodes,
the real BIIoT deployment is of utmost importance. There are two types of storage: i) partial
storage, in which just a portion of the information blocks are locally kept. Additionally, lightweight
nodes are another name for partial storage nodes. ii) complete storage, which saves the entire
blockchain. Additionally, complete nodes refer to entire storage nodes (such as edge servers and
cloud servers). A complete node has enough processing power since it requires a lot of storage
space to store multiple entire blockchains and current processing power to solve consensus
challenges.IoT devices with low resources, on the other hand, are compact devices that ensure
transaction faithfulness without extracting. Several IIoT and blockchain communication protocols
are viable for BIIoT adoption, including: Direct communication between IIoT devices, during
which IIoT devices can directly swap partial blockchain information via D2D connections; Direct
communication between blockchain and IIoT, during which IIoT nodes can directly use blockchain
information stored at edge servers hosted by Macro Base Stations (MBS) and IIoT gateways;
Hybrid communication between edge servers and cloud, through which IIoT nodes can interact
with blockchain.

7.2 Applications for BIIoT

Currently, the fusion of IIoT and blockchain is a fresh, rapidly expanding trend. This section
provides an overview of BIIoT applications because a Blockchain technology can help with
overcoming IIoT problems. The summary's value is in stating that blockchains have a wider range
of applications than other technologies [158]. The focus throughout this study is mostly on
industrial applications.

7.3 Food sector

BIIoT can increase the visibility of a commodity's life cycle, particularly in the food market. To
ensure that food is protected, traceability of food products is very important.It is challenging for
the present IoT to guarantee food traceability throughout the full food supply chain. For instance,
several providers might recommend a company that produces food. As a result, it is necessary to
digitise information from sources for the entire food manufacturing industry.Through this
procedure, blockchain technology can guarantee the food's provenance and tracking
capabilities.highlighted the necessity of establishing a supply chain platform in China from farmers
to food producers using the blockchain approach and RFID. This system has been designed to
ensure the data trackability of the food supply chain.
Meanwhile, the work of shows how blockchain technology can help increase food protection by
making trackable food productions more accessible. Additionally, it demonstrates how integrating
blockchain into the food supply chain can enable consumers to trace the entire process of food
creation. Additionally, researchers offer a blockchain application case for the industry of natural
coffee in Colombia.Presents a food protection trackability system that is supported by blockchain
technology and electronic product codes (EPC) IoT tags. Through smart contracts, this technology
can specifically stop information interception and confidentiality disclosure. To demonstrate
effectiveness, a model of the proposed architecture has been put into action.

7.4 Smart manufacturing sector

Manufacturing is transitioning from "mechanical to smart manufacturing," which is a good thing.

Big data analytics is incredibly important in this process of progress in the manufacturing sector.
Every stage of the life cycle of a commodity, including material sourcing, manufactured goods
designing, sharing, manufacturing, after-sales repair, and selling, generates enormous amounts of
information. However, because the manufacturing data is so fragmented, information aggregation
and analytics are necessary. By integrating IIoT systems via peer-to-peer networks and enabling
information sharing across industrial divisions, BIIoT can address the interoperability issue.As an
illustration, many distributed blockchains are frequently created to support various sectors, with
each blockchain supporting a different sector. Security in smart manufacturing can be improved
via BIIoT.

However, the majority of the enhanced firmware is physically installed at IIoT nodes after being
physically imported from a central server.The firmware updates must be deployed in a distributed
IIoT, which is expensive and time-consuming. The work of offers a standard firmware upgrade
option that uses blockchain technology and smart contracts. Specifically, the entire industrial
network is organised around smart contracts that handle firmware improvement strategies.Smart
contracts are implemented by design and can be used by nodes to install and import firmware
hashes. Additionally, a decentralised blockchain-based autonomous manufacturing solution was
put up to offer a stronger safety and secrecy defence than typical centralised architecture.
Additionally, a mobile crowdsensing system built on blockchain was proposed to address the issue
of information in smart manufacturing.
7.5 Healthcare sector

Healthcare is undergoing change as a result of the rapid convergence of digital technology, which
has the potential to free clinical data and offer a more practical means of enhancing healthcare
outcomes and processes. Because hospitals have limited resources, healthcare services currently
face new obstacles. The likelihood of encouraging remote healthcare services is increased by
recent developments in wearable medical technology and BDA in healthcare information. As a
result, hospital loads' resources are regularly and effectively released. For instance, elderly people
who live in their homes wear medical devices on their bodies.This gadget continuously measures
and collects health data, including blood pressure, heart rate, and sugar level.

Through the networks of healthcare, medical teams and clinicians can access medical information
at any time and from any location. However, using medical data raises concerns about security,
privacy, and confidentiality.Healthcare information confidentiality and safety are challenged by
network heterogeneity and vulnerabilities prevalent in medical technology.Blockchain-based
healthcare network integration can successfully address issues with healthcare data security and
confidentiality. For instance, demonstrates how blockchain technology might be used to protect
healthcare data stored on cloud servers. Notably, to support real-time patient observation, the
healthcare data generated by medical sensors is often and routinely gathered and broadcast to the
system based on smart contracts. Using blockchains, confidentiality is typically maintained
throughout the entire process.

Additionally, placed signature techniques based on the attribute in decentralised healthcare

blockchain systems. This system can identify the owner of healthcare information and verify the
validity of the information. On the other hand, this plan can also safeguard the owner's right to
privacy when it comes to medical information. In order to offer confidentiality and secrecy, the
present effort combines blockchain-based MEC with IoT to establish a framework for controlling
in-home therapy. Additionally, blockchain provides traceability possibilities for patients who have
contracted various contagious viruses such Novel COVID-19, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome,
and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Notably, patients using IIoT technology can be
consecutively tracked in a manner akin to quarantine while maintaining patient confidentiality.
7.6 Automotive Industry

The automobile sector is one of the most technologically advanced industries because to
innovations ranging from industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) integration inside IoT connected
autos to electric, hybrid, and self-driving smart cars. However, the automotive industry is tolerating
operational incompetence and safety issues that result in needless casualties, cyber-attacks,
defeats, occurrences, and prices inflated costs for services and fractions under the Industry 4.0
concept, which denotes the stage following the digitalization sector.These concerns have recently
been accepted for distribution to the various and diverse stakeholders who took part in the lifecycle
of the vehicle. Industry 4.0 takes advantage of advancements in a variety of disciplines, enabling
the use of huge sensors and information technology.the improvements in connectivity and
computing power the introduction of cutting-edge machine learning.

Multiple services and features are made possible by the expanding capacities offered by complex
diverse linked and autonomous networked organisms. They do, however, exist due to the danger
of malicious assaults or other dangers, which call for more effective cybersecurity. Furthermore,
open protection is promised when the restricted organisms are vehicle-associated systems, making
strong cyber security an absolute necessity . The automotive sector may make use of BIIoT
technologies to alleviate this problem.

7.7 Oil and gas sector

Oil and gas will continue to dominate the world energy industry for the next 20 to 30 years. Since
oil and gas resources are crucial to the energy sector, innovative drilling methods, marine digital
platforms, and intelligent oil and gas fields have all benefited from the industry's rapid adoption
of technology in recent years. Frequently, the oil and gas industry, Industry is gradually integrating
automation, digitization, and intellectualization. Despite having an older organisational style, it
stands out for having short effectiveness, high cost, high threat, and extended period.

According to the market segmentation, these industries are divided into three categories:
downstream, midstream, and upstream. Upstream refers to the development and exploration of oil
and gas, whereas downstream and midstream allude to sales and storage of oil and gas. There are
many managing restrictions in a variety of marketplaces, as illustrated in Table 8.
Given the aforementioned problems, it is now necessary for the oil and gas sector to change its
management style. The oil and gas business has a big potential for using a blockchain approach.
The debut of Bitcoin in 2008 sparked a boom in the advancement of the blockchain technology.
The oil and gas sector has adopted a wait-and-see attitude in the interim.

7.8 Trade supply chain industry

The distribution of the goods to the client is the final step in the trade supply chain. The trading
technique includes a valid combined contract between the buyer and the seller that outlines all of
the conditions necessary for a successful trade. These scenarios, for instance, could determine the
best method of product transport. The trading process is usually examined by a third party. The
main responsibility of this organisation is to make sure that each party complies with the terms of
the contract.If a dispute arises between a buyer and a seller, the regulatory body will resolve it.
Customers who use the Amazon trade platform, for instance, can alert the platform's management
if they get goods that do not match the merchants' advertised descriptions.

7.9 BIIoT open research issues

Blockchain and IIoT together offer a variety of chances to advance the sector. Before the capability
of BIIoT is regularly and fully employed, there are numerous problems that need to be overcome
. Numerous key obstacles to IIoT integration into the blockchain have been examined in this
section.

7.10 Privacy leakage

Several protections are built into blockchain technologies to prevent unauthorised access to
transaction reports maintained in blockchains. For instance, Bitcoin transactions are made using
IP addresses rather than actual customer identities, which ensures personal confidentiality. Even
though these protection measures are inconsistent and insufficient, one-time accounts can be
created in Bitcoin to help users maintain their anonymity. For instance, it has been found that
consumer pseudonyms are regularly broken by inferring from and learning about the various
transactions connected to a single general user. In addition, the entire.The blockchain's transaction
data storage space can still have an impact on the possibility of confidentiality leakage, as noted.
7.11 Security vulnerability

Despite the fact that incorporating blockchain technologies into IIoT can increase security through
encryption and signature creation by blockchains, BIIoT continues to have serious concerns about
protection due to the weaknesses of both blockchain and IIoT systems [169]. Because wireless
communication organisations are measurable and feasible, there is a growing trend towards
building wireless networks in industrial settings. The open wireless channel, on the other hand,
causes problems in the IIoT because to safety violations such jamming, submissive overhearing,
and repetitive attacks . Furthermore, standard extreme weighted encryption algorithms may not be
practical in the IIoT due to the resource limitations of IIoT nodes . Additionally, it is challenging
to keep an eye on the keys in dispersed environments .

7.12 Constraints of resources

There are many IIoT nodes with limited resources. For instance, RFID tags, sensors, and smart
metres have weaker network linkability, limited storage capacity, and lower computing power.
Additionally, the decentralised consensus methods used by blockchains usually require greater
computing power and use more energy. For instance, PoW in Bitcoin has been demonstrated to
provide substantial power consumption. Therefore, for low-energy IIoT nodes, the consensus
technique , which requires a significant power expenditure, may not be feasible.On the other hand,
a complete deployment of blockchains across IIoT is impossible due to the magnitude of
blockchain information. For instance, the Bitcoin blockchain almost reached 185 GB in size by
the end of September 2018. The entire blockchain cannot be completely saved on an IIoT node.

7.13 Scalability

The broad blockchain's use in vast IIoT is constrained by the existing blockchain's scalability . The
number of concurrent workloads, the size of the IIoT nodes, and the throughput of transactions per
second are routinely measured . Numerous blockchain projects have weak throughput caused
problems . For instance, shows that Bitcoin evolved to seven transactions per second. On the other
hand, VISA can generate nearly 2,000 transactions per second, and PayPal can process 170
transactions per second . According to Reference, the Bitcoin blockchain may not be suitable for
IIoT due to its poor measurability. As a result, current blockchain systems may not be appropriate
for applications with a high volume of transactions, like IIoT.
8. Conclusion

The Industrial Internet of Things is now facing many difficulties, such as inadequate
interoperability, heterogeneity, security and confidentiality flaws, and resource constraints. IIoT
challenges can be solved by utilising current blockchain technologies, which improve secrecy,
interoperability, trackability, safety, and dependability. In order to undertake the investigation
described in this paper, blockchain and IIoT were combined. The term "BIIoT" refers to such a
marriage of blockchain and IIoT, and this study conducts a thorough survey of the literature already
published in this area. The main topics that have been studied and presented include the Industrial
Internet of Things, blockchain technology, and the Internet of Things. The article also assesses the
applications of BIIoT and illustrates BIIoT architecture. Along with a list of BIIoT open research
issues, further illustrations of BIIoT-capable applications have been provided. Due to their high
centralization and single point of failure, IIoT security systems as they currently exist are
inefficient. However, Blockchain-based IIoT is particularly resistant to external hacking and other
threats. The same data is kept on each blockchain node, so there is no chance of data loss. Future
work will put the BIIoT system into practise and demonstrate it for practical solutions like on-
demand manufacturing and device self-service.
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