Here’s an intriguing opportunity: A startup called SkySafe is selling sensors you can put on your roof to help monitor drone activity. In return, you will get a cut of the revenue it collects from clients like stadiums and government agencies, while also enjoying access to a FlightAware-style display of drones. It’s a cool project, but there’s a catch: The sensors cost $949, and any payments will be made in a new type of cryptocurrency. Would you go for it?
To get a sense of what this is all about, it’s helpful to know that SkySafe is one of the newer entrants to a segment of the crypto market called Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks or DePIN. The concept has been around since 2021 and the most famous example is a project called Helium—whose ads have been all over the New York City subway system—which will pay you to be part of its wireless phone network. A mapping initiative called Hivemapper is another example.
