Connected electric cars recharging, secured with Intel SGX
The Challenge
Develop a secure, autonomous payment architecture where IoT devices could both make and receive payments, demonstrated by an interactive, playable prototype.
My Role
I partnered with a payments agency to build the initial Raspberry Pi prototype with stored credentials. I then collaborated with Intel to migrate the credentials into a secure enclave called SGX. I built a Lego cityscape with a large LCD “smart charger” station and a custom Lego camper van housing a compute stick with it’s own colour LCD screen.
Solution and impact
Users drive the camper van around the cityscape, when it rolls over a charging sensor, the vehicle autonomously discovers the charging station, negotiates payment (including supercharging for low battery), pays securely, and the charge is released by a trusted trigger.
The large dashboard screen displays real-time negotiation data and orchestration, making the invisible IoT payment flow visible and educational. This hands-on demo engaged audiences at events, sparking conversations about machine-to-machine economies – whilst showcasing secure, practical IoT payments in a playful format.
Depth of technology
WiFi comms link the Intel Compute Sticks (vehicle and charger) running C# software, with payment credentials protected in Intel SGX secure enclaves. Custom Lego builds, contain the IoT hardware, the camper-van houses the Compute Stick, NFC sensor and LCD, and the cityscape features RFID/NFC sensors, Compute Stick, and LCD, and a large dashboard screen.
The architecture demonstrates discovery, negotiation, secure payment, and automated service release – all in a tangible, interactive setup.
