Âtrium Lab is Poised to Unite Cardano

Âtrium, uniting Cardano

The dust has settled somewhat with regard to Twitter’s rebranding. As many of those who follow Elon will know, the Tesla and Space X tycoon has publicly stated his plans to turn the recently christened ‘X’ into the ‘everything in one’ social media platform, similar to the way the Chinese Communist Party utilises WeChat.

However, for those of us in the blockchain and specifically Cardano game, centralisation such as this is anathema to our core values. That being said, the implementation of a decentralised, all-in-one platform where you can manage the entirety of your Cardano blockchain life would radically shake up the way we interact, for the better.

Your All-in-One Solution Arrives on Cardano

The Âtrium platform is an all-in-one, user-friendly front-end interface, designed to provide users with the ability to access a variety of Cardano’s financial applications, in one location. By consolidating these features into a single platform, the expectation is that the barrier to entry will be lowered for new Cardano users.

At the same time, the deployment of a seamlessly designed platform which congregates all of the essentials should also provide a unique and fulfilling experience, for both existing and loyal users. Built around several, immutable core principles, Âtrium aims to both educate and connect the community in a way that has not yet been attempted, let alone achieved.

Armed with decades of experience, the team behind the project will also develop tools in order to further encourage decentralisation, all while simplifying the overall experience of Cardano application. Through this blend of sophistication and simplicity, the goal is that Âtrium will become the go-to tool for newcomers to the Cardano network.

“Math is the only place where truth and beauty mean the same thing.” Danica McKellar.

The determination to onboard newcomers is crystallised via the striking beauty of the Âtrium dashboard, which is equalled only by its utility. The team’s dexterity in this matter is fully realised through the combined delivery of information and inviting aesthetics, the latter of which will undoubtedly play a key role in recruiting future Cardano enthusiasts, who may otherwise be intimidated by the sheer volume of relevant information provided.

This is an area often overlooked by developers, and gives an insight into the team’s connection with the community.

Once logged in to the dashboard, users are presented with a simplified overview of their wallet’s contents, such as total ADA value, NFT and other token amounts, as well as the current return your wallet is earning through staking.

The dashboard will also provide links to reputable exchanges. On top of this there are future plans to make the dashboard customisable, so the stats you value most can take prominence. Relevant staking data is also provided, however, the dashboard is merely a launchpad into the wider provisions of the platform. From here, you are able to drill down deeper into the Cardano tooling, as you would expect, there is also a wallet functionality which allows users to send and receive.

Although currently in the final bug-fixing stages while they prepare for Alpha release, the team have been working on the dashboard for over a year, honing it into a truly versatile system that forms the backbone of their planned future ecosystem. The thought process behind Âtrium is apparent to anyone.

While it is literally true that Blockchain developers speak another language, the common stereotype of the tech expert, incapable of transmitting their knowledge in layman’s terms has been shattered.

Onboarding Education Platform

Although the word blockchain has transitioned irreversibly into the public lexicon, if asked, most people would be incapable of providing any synonyms other than Bitcoin. To even attempt to explain the deeper complexities of Cardano would be at the risk of deterring them forever. With this in mind, the team at Âtrium Lab has cohesively and holistically designed the Âtrium platform with the primary objective of educating newcomers to the community.

Given the complex, technical nature of the subject matter, this information is to be presented in beautifully designed, graphic displays. Every tile on the Âtrium interface is to be accompanied by a button which links directly to an animated motion video, complete with audio and text.

These videos will explain the basic concepts of Cardano to newcomers, simplifying the transition into the world of blockchain. The videos will cover a variety of key areas of interest, ranging from topics such as ‘how to stake’, to the more complex matter of ‘token swapping’. By placing educational content alongside each interactive item on the platform, new users can navigate the complex new world of the Cardano blockchain with a heightened sense of confidence and security.

The team’s overall objective is to guide new users through each element of the Âtrium interface, while familiarising and educating them on advanced Cardano concepts. Peyton (Big Pey) has been producing educational content for the community for years, meaning the project is already perfectly poised for success in this field. It is a rarity to find someone who is both technically astute yet can deliver the data-centric information in a way that is relatable to the average person.

When you combine this with the motion graphics expertise of Âtrium’s Co-founder, Ben, who has 14+ years of industry experience producing animations for some of the world’s leading brands, including IOG, CF and Emurgo, it is easy to see how the Âtrium team will revolutionise Cardano Blockchain education.

Staking Baskets

Stake pools are one of the hallmarks of the Cardano ecosystem, with users able to allocate based on the mission which most closely aligns with their own values. However, there can often be a conflict between wanting to support a good cause and the practicality of wanting a reasonable and consistent return on your stake.

Up until now, delegates have been limited to one stake pool per wallet, and therefore their ADA is subject to the efficiency of one stake pool operator (SPO). However, thanks to Âtrium Lab’s revolutionary new solution, it is now possible to delegate to multiple stake pools from a single wallet address.

 ‘Staking Baskets’ are an innovative new solution that provides further decentralisation of the Cardano blockchain. Developed by MLabs (renowned specialists in Haskell and Rust), this smart-contract system essentially takes a user’s ADA, and delegates it across multiple stake pools (up to 50), easily and efficiently.

 Not only does this pave the way for further decentralisation, and allow delegates to try out different stake pools, but this strategy also allows users to diversify the content rewards. For example, some developers/projects will pay out rewards in the protocol’s native tokens, such as PlatypusCyberPunks VNM, therefore delegates are not limited to receiving rewards in ADA.

Through the beautifully designed Âtrium UI, users of the staking tool are able to easily compare different stake pools, checking for historical performance indicators, costs and other key factors, much like the comparison sites we use for flights or insurance providers.  The overall impact of Âtrium’s staking baskets means that the power has been further placed in the hands of the individual user, another reason for people to choose Cardano. What’s more, users will eventually be able to create their own customised Staking Baskets, with their own list of stakepools.

Meet the Team

Âtrium Lab is the development team behind Âtrium, originally just a bunch of passionate community members who came together to build something they all felt should exist. The company was Co-founded by Peyton and Ben, the former of which is the operator behind Bloom, one of the ecosystem’s largest stake pools, and responsible for minting the 8th block on the Cardano Blockchain. The project also boasts an impressive, wider core team, which benefits from decades’ worth of industry experience, both front and back end, including security experts and award-winning designers who have worked with some of the most recognised brands in the world.

To Wrap it Up

For Cardano to ascend to its deserved level of status, it will require the input and output of dedicated teams like those at Âtrium Lab, teams who have a clear vision for the future of the blockchain. Having narrowly missed out on funding in last year’s Fund 9, the team continued on a path of determined self-exploration, building Âtrium largely at their own personal expense. This in itself is a reflection of their commitment to delivering high-quality solutions to the Cardano community.

This article has only scratched the surface of what Âtrium Lab has in store. A total of 10 Catalyst proposals have been submitted, all meticulously composed so as to only request the essential amount of funding, in order to deliver what the community has deemed necessary. One thing is certain though, Âtrium Lab is driven by an innate and passionate sense of loyalty and service towards the Cardano community, with their ceaseless desire to innovate, the future looks bright for our favourite Blockchain.

 To learn more about the Project Catalyst proposals mentioned in this article, click here > Âtrium Dashboard, Onboarding Education Platform and Staking Baskets Platform.

To read Âtrium Lab’s 10 Project Catalyst proposals in full, visit their Discord server, check out their Medium articles or follow them on Twitter.