sdk.html

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layout: page
title: Physical AI & Economy of Things | Vertices SDK
description: "A Rust, Zephyr-ready trust layer for Physical AI and the Economy of Things: hardware-rooted identity, verifiable observations, and policy-controlled economic capabilities."
permalink: /sdk/
og_image: /img/sdk-roadmap-og.png
---

<main id="sdk-roadmap">
  <section class="sdk-hero">
    <div class="sdk-shell">
      <div class="sdk-hero-grid">
        <div class="sdk-hero-copy">
          <p class="sdk-kicker">Vertices SDK · Physical AI &amp; Economy of Things</p>
          <h1>Verifiable machines,<br><span>built from the device up.</span></h1>
          <p class="sdk-lede">
            We are building a Rust, Zephyr-ready trust layer for Physical AI and the Economy of
            Things—so constrained devices can create authenticated observations, prove their
            identity, and participate in the internet economy under explicit policy.
          </p>
          <div class="sdk-actions">
            <a class="sdk-button sdk-button-primary" href="#roadmap">Explore the roadmap</a>
            <a class="sdk-button sdk-button-secondary" href="https://github.com/vertices-network/vertices-sdk">View the SDK on GitHub <span aria-hidden="true">↗</span></a>
          </div>
        </div>

        <div class="sdk-signal-card" aria-label="Vertices protocol flow">
          <div class="sdk-signal-topline">
            <span>PROTOCOL / V0.1</span>
            <span class="sdk-live-dot">IN DEVELOPMENT</span>
          </div>
          <div class="sdk-flow-stack">
            <div class="sdk-flow-node">
              <span class="sdk-flow-index">01</span>
              <div><strong>Physical device</strong><small>Sensor + secure credentials</small></div>
            </div>
            <span class="sdk-flow-arrow" aria-hidden="true">↓</span>
            <div class="sdk-flow-node">
              <span class="sdk-flow-index">02</span>
              <div><strong>Signed observation</strong><small>Deterministic CBOR + Ed25519</small></div>
            </div>
            <span class="sdk-flow-arrow" aria-hidden="true">↓</span>
            <div class="sdk-flow-node">
              <span class="sdk-flow-index">03</span>
              <div><strong>Public verification</strong><small>Commitment anchored on Base</small></div>
            </div>
          </div>
          <div class="sdk-signal-footer">
            <span>PHYSICAL AI</span><span>VERIFIED EVIDENCE</span><span>ECONOMY OF THINGS</span>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </section>

  <section class="sdk-thesis">
    <div class="sdk-shell">
      <p class="sdk-section-label">The product thesis</p>
      <div class="sdk-thesis-grid">
        <h2>Physical AI needs evidence<br>it can trust.</h2>
        <div>
          <p>
            Physical AI becomes useful when it can reason about a current, attributable signal
            from a real machine—not just data from an unknown source. A device should be able to
            answer three questions: <strong>Who am I?</strong> <strong>What did I observe?</strong>
            and, only once those answers are trustworthy, <strong>What am I allowed to buy?</strong>
          </p>
          <p>
            Vertices supplies the embedded trust layer between physical systems and digital
            services. Our path is deliberately staged: open protocol → embedded identity SDK →
            Economy of Things infrastructure. Each step has a proof gate before the next begins.
          </p>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </section>

  <section class="sdk-foundation">
    <div class="sdk-shell">
      <div class="sdk-section-heading">
        <div>
          <p class="sdk-section-label">What ships first</p>
          <h2>A compact protocol for trustworthy observations.</h2>
        </div>
        <p>
          The first release proves one complete path from sensor data to an independently
          auditable public commitment.
        </p>
      </div>

      <div class="sdk-spec-grid">
        <article class="sdk-spec-card">
          <span class="sdk-spec-tag">EVIDENCE</span>
          <h3>One signed representation</h3>
          <p>Every observation uses deterministic CBOR, SHA-256, and an Ed25519 signature so any verifier can reproduce exactly what the device signed.</p>
        </article>
        <article class="sdk-spec-card">
          <span class="sdk-spec-tag">AUTHORIZATION</span>
          <h3>Separate keys, separate jobs</h3>
          <p>Ed25519 proves the observation. A separately managed secp256k1 credential authorizes the Base transaction. Both can rotate independently.</p>
        </article>
        <article class="sdk-spec-card">
          <span class="sdk-spec-tag">PRIVACY</span>
          <h3>Proof on-chain, data off-chain</h3>
          <p>Base records the commitment, sequence, and metadata reference. Raw sensor bodies stay off-chain and keep their application-specific format.</p>
        </article>
      </div>

      <div class="sdk-protocol-line" aria-label="First release protocol sequence">
        <span>OBSERVATION</span><i aria-hidden="true"></i>
        <span>CANONICAL CBOR</span><i aria-hidden="true"></i>
        <span>ED25519</span><i aria-hidden="true"></i>
        <span>EIP-1559</span><i aria-hidden="true"></i>
        <span>BASE SEPOLIA</span><i aria-hidden="true"></i>
        <span>VERIFY</span>
      </div>
    </div>
  </section>

  <section class="sdk-roadmap-section" id="roadmap">
    <div class="sdk-shell">
      <div class="sdk-section-heading sdk-roadmap-heading">
        <div>
          <p class="sdk-section-label">The roadmap</p>
          <h2>Four proof-driven chapters.</h2>
        </div>
        <p>
          This is a sequence of evidence, not a feature checklist. Timing follows the success
          gates: we advance when the previous claim works on real hardware and can be verified by others.
        </p>
      </div>

      <div class="sdk-timeline">
        <article class="sdk-milestone sdk-milestone-current">
          <div class="sdk-milestone-rail">
            <span>01</span>
            <i aria-hidden="true"></i>
          </div>
          <div class="sdk-milestone-content">
            <div class="sdk-milestone-meta"><span>FOUNDATION + P1</span><span>PROTOCOL → DEVICE</span><span class="sdk-status sdk-status-current">In progress</span></div>
            <h3>Prove the protocol, then make the ESP32 real.</h3>
            <p>First, a desktop reference device signs, submits, and independently verifies a complete Base Sepolia flow. Then the unchanged protocol moves to an ESP32 with Wi-Fi, a sensor, two keys, and a monotonic sequence source.</p>
            <div class="sdk-current-focus"><strong>Current focus</strong><span>Desktop end-to-end flow and ESP32 validation.</span></div>
            <ul>
              <li>Publish the SDK skeleton, registry contract, testnet details, and integration guide.</li>
              <li>Measure flash, RAM, signing latency, network overhead, energy, and recovery behavior.</li>
              <li>Keep production crates allocator-free and <code>no_std</code> under cross-compilation.</li>
            </ul>
            <div class="sdk-gate"><strong>Proof gate</strong><span>A third party can verify that device X signed an observation and its authorized machine account anchored it.</span></div>
          </div>
        </article>

        <article class="sdk-milestone">
          <div class="sdk-milestone-rail">
            <span>02</span>
            <i aria-hidden="true"></i>
          </div>
          <div class="sdk-milestone-content">
            <div class="sdk-milestone-meta"><span>P2 + P3</span><span>DEVICE → TRUSTED DEVICE</span><span class="sdk-status sdk-status-planned">Planned</span></div>
            <h3>Root identity in hardware and bind it to firmware.</h3>
            <p>The signer abstraction becomes a real security boundary with an SE050 secure-element backend and a path to secure MCUs. Registration then links the device to an approved firmware measurement and provisioning state.</p>
            <ul>
              <li>Generate or provision non-exportable observation and EVM credentials.</li>
              <li>Demonstrate that private key material never enters application logic.</li>
              <li>Add privacy-conscious firmware measurement, update, and rollback policies.</li>
            </ul>
            <div class="sdk-stretch"><span>STRETCH / P3A</span> Add a versioned hardware-state attestation that can prove secure boot, lifecycle, anti-rollback, debug-lock, and approved firmware state.</div>
            <div class="sdk-gate"><strong>Proof gate</strong><span>A verifier can link an observation to registered hardware running approved firmware—and reject an untrusted state.</span></div>
          </div>
        </article>

        <article class="sdk-milestone">
          <div class="sdk-milestone-rail">
            <span>03</span>
            <i aria-hidden="true"></i>
          </div>
          <div class="sdk-milestone-content">
            <div class="sdk-milestone-meta"><span>P4 + P5 + P6</span><span>ONE DEVICE → FLEET</span><span class="sdk-status sdk-status-planned">Planned</span></div>
            <h3>Make identity operable across a device lifecycle.</h3>
            <p>Move from a demo credential to a fleet-ready operational model: factory provisioning, registration, operator assignment, ownership transfer, rotation, recovery, and retirement.</p>
            <ul>
              <li>Keep ownership, observation keys, economic accounts, and firmware signers as distinct roles.</li>
              <li>Prototype smart accounts only if session keys, recovery, or spend policy improve the customer case.</li>
              <li>Evaluate relaying and batching so devices can publish without each one managing ETH.</li>
            </ul>
            <div class="sdk-gate"><strong>Proof gate</strong><span>A repeatable, auditable fleet flow publishes device evidence without per-device gas management.</span></div>
          </div>
        </article>

        <article class="sdk-milestone sdk-milestone-last">
          <div class="sdk-milestone-rail">
            <span>04</span>
          </div>
          <div class="sdk-milestone-content">
            <div class="sdk-milestone-meta"><span>P7 + P8</span><span>PHYSICAL AI → ECONOMIC UTILITY</span><span class="sdk-status sdk-status-planned">Planned</span></div>
            <h3>Validate one customer use case, then enable one purchase.</h3>
            <p>We will choose a focused DePIN or device-manufacturer workflow where trusted machine data helps a Physical AI workflow unlock a real transaction. Only after that value is proven do we add constrained machine-to-machine commerce through x402.</p>
            <ul>
              <li>Run real hardware with a design partner in a specific sensor workflow.</li>
              <li>Create <code>vertices-x402</code> as a transport-independent, allocator-free payment-policy engine.</li>
              <li>Separate capability, spend limit, and immediate action intent before any signature is requested.</li>
            </ul>
            <div class="sdk-gate"><strong>Proof gate</strong><span>A real device buys one narrowly scoped internet service under explicit policy—and a customer can explain why it is worth paying for.</span></div>
          </div>
        </article>
      </div>
    </div>
  </section>

  <section class="sdk-outputs">
    <div class="sdk-shell">
      <div class="sdk-section-heading">
        <div>
          <p class="sdk-section-label">Where this leads</p>
          <h2>Six concrete outcomes.</h2>
        </div>
        <p>By the end of this roadmap, we intend to have a complete body of code, hardware evidence, operating practice, and customer learning.</p>
      </div>
      <ol class="sdk-output-grid">
        <li><span>01</span><div><strong>Rust SDK</strong><p>A production-quality, allocator-free core with stable protocol, crypto, Base, and adapter boundaries.</p></div></li>
        <li><span>02</span><div><strong>ESP32 reference</strong><p>A real sensor producing signed observations and anchoring commitments on Base.</p></div></li>
        <li><span>03</span><div><strong>Hardware-rooted keys</strong><p>Secure-element and secure-hardware paths with non-exportable credentials.</p></div></li>
        <li><span>04</span><div><strong>Verifiable machine identity</strong><p>Hardware identity, firmware measurement, and optional state attestation in one model.</p></div></li>
        <li><span>05</span><div><strong>Relayed publishing</strong><p>A fleet-suitable route that removes per-device gas management.</p></div></li>
        <li><span>06</span><div><strong>One policy-controlled purchase</strong><p>An x402 service purchase completed by real hardware with a design partner.</p></div></li>
      </ol>
    </div>
  </section>

  <section class="sdk-guardrails">
    <div class="sdk-shell">
      <div class="sdk-guardrail-card">
        <p class="sdk-section-label">Deliberate boundaries</p>
        <h2>What we are not building.</h2>
        <div class="sdk-guardrail-grid">
          <p>A general-purpose crypto wallet for IoT.</p>
          <p>On-chain storage for raw or sensitive sensor data.</p>
          <p>A multi-chain platform before the Base path proves useful.</p>
          <p>Payments or physical actuation before identity and evidence are trustworthy.</p>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </section>

  <section class="sdk-cta">
    <div class="sdk-shell">
      <div class="sdk-cta-card">
        <div>
          <p class="sdk-section-label">Build with us</p>
          <h2>Could trusted physical evidence unlock a valuable Physical AI or Economy of Things workflow?</h2>
        </div>
        <div class="sdk-cta-actions">
          <a class="sdk-button sdk-button-light" href="mailto:cyril@vertices.network">Start a conversation</a>
          <a class="sdk-text-link" href="https://github.com/vertices-network/vertices-sdk">Follow the open-source SDK <span aria-hidden="true">↗</span></a>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </section>
</main>