Edge and Fog Computing
Edge and Fog Computing
Current applications' requirements are always more demanding, especially in terms of network latency. Just think about self-driving cars, VR/AR, or Industry 4.0. The classic Cloud computing approach cannot satisfy this fundamental capability due to the network distance of the data centers from the devices. But what if we could move these data centers nearer? Obviously, we cannot, but we can gather small servers together in a geographic domain to drastically reduce communication latencies. Today, with single board computers (e.g. Raspberry Pi) we can easily construct clusters of Fog nodes and offload there the computation. Fog Computing is a term that comprehends all of these kinds of computation, Edge Computing is very similar but emphasizes more the idea of the computation moved to the Edge network (e.g. routers or antennas).
What We Do
At the lab, we study distributed algorithms, resource-sharing strategies, and scheduling policies that best fit this new kind of computing paradigm. We have expertise in the mathematical modeling of the problem, simulation tools and in modern technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
Work With us
If you like these topics and you want to contribute to our research you can work with us in two different ways:
if you are attending an MSc course and you want to do the Thesis with us, you can choose from a list of open topics on this page
if you are already graduated (MSc) and you want to pursue a path in research you can apply for the next Ph.D. Call in Engineering in Computer Science and develop a specific Edge/Fog computing topic with us
Research Topics
Task Scheduling
That is the problem of designing scheduling and load balancing policies which tries to minimize some parameter like blocking probability or latencies
Resource Sharing
That is the problem of enabling the cooperation among multiple fog nodes
Task Offloading
That is the problem of moving the computation from a mobile device to a fog node for reducing the workload
Equipment
The currently available hardware for research
Raspberry Pi Cluster
We have built a Raspberry Pi 4 Cluster, enclosed in a computer desktop chassis. The cluster comprehends 12x Raspberry Pi 4 and 3x Raspberry Pi 3 connected to a WiFi6 Router which allows experimenting distributed algorithms in a real fog environment
Oculus Quest
The Oculus Quest is a VR headset that can be used in addition to the Raspberry Pi Cluster for emulating a real VR environment, supported by the Fog
Key People
Prof. Roberto Beraldi
Ing. Gabriele Proietti Mattia
Publications
https://wallpapershome.com/images/wallpapers/mi-vr-3800x2100-xiaovirtual-reality-vr-headset-12350.jpghttps://images.idgesg.net/images/article/2017/10/cloud_computing_network_connections_iot_internet_of_things_thinkstock_853701240_3x2-100740710-large.jpg
https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Oculus-Quest-2.jpg