Smart contracts are powerful, capable of executing automatically and being tamper-proof, but they have a fatal weakness: they are inherently 'blind' and 'deaf'. They cannot actively obtain any information outside of the blockchain (such as today's weather, stock prices, or football game results). This is the purpose of oracles – to act as the 'senses' of the blockchain, securely and reliably inputting data from the external world onto the chain. @APRO-Oracle is dedicated to becoming the most powerful and versatile 'sensory system'.
A simple metaphor:
Imagine a smart contract as a perfectly fair vending machine set inside a safe. It states: 'If it rains more than 10 millimeters in Tokyo tomorrow, automatically pay user A a claim.' But the problem is, this vending machine is locked inside the safe and has no idea whether it rained outside. At this point, we need a trusted 'messenger' (oracle) to check the weather outside and write the information '12 millimeters of rainfall' on a piece of paper that has undergone multiple anti-counterfeit verifications and stuff it into the safe. Only when the vending machine reads the note can it execute the payment. What APRO aims to do is to establish a global, unbribable 'messenger network' that can not only report the weather but also stock prices, sports scores, and even verify the authenticity of a photo.
What can APRO do? Beyond simple price queries
1. Powering DeFi: This is the fundamental feature that provides accurate cryptocurrency and stock prices for decentralized exchanges and lending protocols.
2. Connecting the Physical World (DePIN): Putting data from IoT devices (such as warehouse temperature, grid load, vehicle location) on the chain for automated logistics, energy trading, and dynamic NFTs.
3. Empowering AI and Machine Learning: Providing verified training data for on-chain AI applications or validating model inference results, ensuring that AI operations are trustworthy.
4. Automating Insurance and Finance: Just like the metaphor above, automatically triggering insurance contracts or financial derivatives settlements based on real-world events (flight delays, natural disasters).
5. Games and NFTs: Allowing chain games to access random numbers or enabling NFT attributes to dynamically change based on real-world events.
Why is the $AT token needed?
$AT is the 'fuel' and 'credibility collateral' that drives the entire APRO network.
· Paying data service fees: Developers using APRO's services need to pay $AT.
· Staking and Becoming a Node: To become a 'messenger' (node) in the network, you must stake $AT to prove your sincerity and reputation. If you act maliciously or provide false data, the staked $AT will be confiscated.
· Participating in Governance: Holding $AT allows you to vote on important upgrades to the network, such as which new types of data sources to support.
· Incentives and Rewards: Honest nodes and quality data providers will receive $AT as a reward.
Summary: APRO's goal is to become the ultimate bridge connecting blockchain with the real world. It allows smart contracts to go beyond on-chain ledger games to perceive, interact, and influence all aspects of our lives. For ordinary users, many transparent, automated on-chain services you will use in the future are likely supported by reliable data from APRO.
