F/M Vehicle-and-mobile phone computing sharing as part of the edge-to-cloud continuum

Intelligent Transport System is open to new applications and services (e.g., infotainment, video streaming, etc.) leveraging vehicle and consumer interaction opportunities. Among such opportunities is the possibility of using computation and/or connectivity resources offered by nearby intelligent vehicles to execute tasks from third-party devices (mobile phones), thus extending the existing Edge-Cloud ecosystem.

Unfortunately, one of the issues making such resource sharing a challenging task is the vehicles and devices heterogeneity in behaviors and resources (e.g., diverse mobility routines, urban traffic, heterogeneous space-time interaction between users and nearby vehicles, etc.). In particular, a direct consequence of hosting or using resources in cars in a distributed way is their exposure and sensitivity to uncertainties of behaviors in users’ mobility and vehicle connectivity brought by traffic conditions. It is, therefore, essential to integrate mobility into the provided solutions besides dealing with resources, capabilities, and sharing.

Objective

The objective of this Ph.D. is first to learn and understand (i) the needs of devices around vehicles, (ii) the resources that vehicles around devices offer, and (iii) how the crowd of devices (or a crowd of vehicles) on the resource-sharing zone evolves in space and time? Second, we are assessing the feasibility of deactivating some of the resources at the edge, including base station antennas and some of the edge node computing servers, to optimize resource utilization, reduce energy consumption, and enhance overall operational efficiency. This strategic adjustment aligns with our goal of achieving a more sustainable and cost-effective infrastructure while maintaining the desired level of service and performance.

Context

The ANR FITNESS project, part of the PEPR Network of the Future, funds this Ph.D. program.