DIP-47: frogcrypto 2 🐸

Devcon Improvement Proposals (DIPs)
1

Summary of Proposal

Frogcrypto introduces Devcon attendees to programmable cryptography through cute cryptographic frogs.

Building on the success of FROGCRYPTO at Devconnect 2023, attendees this year will collect frog PODs via physical devices and Zupass-integrated webapps. These frogs are ZK-verifiable on Ethereum, creating a network of cryptographic data with rich possibilities for developers.

Abstract

Last year, 3000+ Devconnect attendees collected over 1 million Frog PCDs via the first FROGCRYPTO experience. Developers built MPC Frog Battlers, frog ZKPs in various ZK languages, Frog ZK Auth for Telegram, and more on top.

The goal of FROGCRYPTO 2.0 is to introduce Devcon 2024’s attendees to Programmable Cryptography through a simple, memorable experience that creates even more developer surface area.

The core loop: collect frogs to redeem swag and unlock ZK- and Ethereum-enabled experiences.

As an upgrade from last year, and similarly to several other community-led Devcon projects, frogs are internally represented as PODs. PODs are a format for cryptographic data that is ZK-verifiable on Ethereum. Attendees can collect FROGCRYPTO PODs in three ways:

  1. From each other (by tapping wearables)
  2. Through sites that integrate with Zupass (similar experience as the FROGCRYPTO tab at Devconnect)
  3. From physical CYBERFROGs throughout the venue (frog-shaped hardware placed throughout the venue).

These collection methods enable (1) a fun, scavenger-hunt like engagement for the conference and (2) a rich network of cryptographic data, including a social graph of attendees, location information about hotspots in the venue, etc. that devs can build on top of.

Motivation & Rationale

How will it enhance attendee experience?

It’ll be cute, fun, memorable… and help attendees explore new cryptography. At Devconnect last year:

This year, we’ll build on the success of last year by:

  • Adding more cuteness (with necklaces, more frog-based swag, and bringing back the hats)
  • Having a dedicated area to be a community hangout for people interested in this tech
  • Creating more interesting data, including a social graph of attendees (when users collect frogs from each other) and location data (when users collect frogs around the venue).
    • This year, players will be able to give a frog “contact card” to other attendees!

How is this solution better than a non-blockchain experience & how will it introduce attendees to a new use case?

Frogs serve as collectible cryptographic data that are ZK-verifiable on Ethereum, offering authenticity, transparency, and interoperability–without the initial friction of onboarding onto the blockchain. FROGCRYPTO’s frogs this year will leverage the POD standard; each attendees’ frogs are private, soulbound (i.e. non-transferrable by default), and require no gas or interaction with a wallet though they are still verifiable on Ethereum.

Specifically, the cryptographic data attached to frogs naturally gives them what can be thought of as a perfect, open, API–allowing developers to build any experiences on top of frogs they desire without asking the frog issuers for permission.

The goal is to create a playground of ZK-provable and Ethereum-portable data for developers to build on, both during the conference and in the future. We hope that this prompts conference attendees to ask the question… What if more (or even all) data on the internet was structured this way?

A nice bonus is that this encourages attendees to interact with various cryptographic capabilities that have been advanced by the Ethereum ecosystem, including zero-knowledge proofs (which can be made over frogs, since they are signed with ZK friendly key pairs) and fully homomorphic encryption (which we’ll be leveraging to create an experimental game on top of the issued frogs) in new ways.

Implementation

There would be both digital and physical touchpoints for FROGCRYPTO2 across the venue.

Part #1: Frog Booth: attendees acquire the tool for scavenger hunt

  • a visible booth the attendees walk up to after the registration and acquire
    the tools needed for the scavenger hunt (i.e. instructions and physical items)
  • staffed from our side throughout the entire duration of the event

Part #2: Scavenger hunt throughout the venue

  • digital and physical scavenger hunt in different areas of the venue
  • physical component includes CYBERFROGs posted up around the venue
  • digital component includes a website or Zupass-integrated application that users can use to collect frogs. we will work with the Zupass team to ensure a smooth integration, like FROGCRYPTO last year

Part #3: Frog community hub: FHE playground and giveaway store

  • visible community hub, preferably located in a high-traffic area (i.e. around a central artpiece or landmark)
  • attendees observe and engage in games that demonstrate state of the art FHE
    mechanics - for example, an FHE “frog arena” game that you can play at the hub on machines provided by us
  • store for receiving themed rewards for collecting frogs: attendees present their scavenger hunt score and receive fun swag in return. this is similar in spirit to the iconic Frog Bucket Hats from Devconnect last year, that drove substantial excitement and attention
  • hub staffed from our side throughout the entire duration of the event

Operational Requirements & Ownership

  1. What actions are required to implement the proposal at Devcon?
    Coordination with Devcon’s production re. furniture, electronics, set up / tear down of:
  • Frog Community Hub (location for Frog Shop and FHE game)
  • Frog Booth (near entrance/registration - for participants to receive instructions and hardware. all materials and staff would be provided by us, we just need a location to put the booth.)
  • coordinating the placement of CYBERFROGs around the venue.
  1. Who will be responsible for the proposal to be implemented effectively? (i.e. working on Day 0)
    smallbraindev, izabela

Links & Additional Information

FROGCRYPTO 2.0 will be built on the POD ZK data standard that is also referenced in a DIP submitted by the Zupass team. We will work closely with the Zupass team to ensure a smooth end-to-end integration.

6 Likes
2

Cool thanks for the proposal.

I wonder what more can be done / communicated through the ‘frogs’ such that people end thinking and asking themselves this question more. How can we make them think about this question as part of the default flow…

Have you thought about a different design? or different color? to distinguish it from Devconnect’s.

I believe Cursive team proposed something similar with DIP 42. I wonder if it’s possible to share this social graph somehow between teams so it becomes collaborative.

3 Likes
3

Hi, this is awesome! FROGCRYPTO 2.0 FTW!

I would love to help with building some pixel art frogs, and storylines and easter eggs for some of them :smiley:

2 Likes