The advent of 5G technology has ignited excitement, particularly regarding its potential impact on autonomous vehicles and transportation. With promises of ultra-low latency and high reliability, 5G is poised to revolutionize vehicle connectivity, enabling safer and more efficient transportation systems. However, realizing this vision comes with technical challenges, including the need for low latency communication between vehicle on-board units (OBUs) and data centers. So, now let us look into Architecting Edge for Self-driving Cars with OpenStack and ETSI Open-Source MANO along with Accurate 4G Tester, 4G LTE Tester, 4G Network Tester and VOLTE Testing tools & Equipment and Accurate LTE RF drive test tools in telecom & RF drive test software in telecom in detail.
To address these challenges, researchers at Cartagena and Murcia universities in Spain have developed a solution called “surrogates.” This innovative approach involves virtualizing vehicle OBUs using OpenStack and ETSI Open Source MANO (OSM), with a focus on multi-access edge computing (MEC) to bridge the gap between vehicles and the cloud.
The surrogates solution virtualizes the functionality of physical OBUs into virtual network functions (VNFs) hosted on the edge of the network. These VNFs perform critical pre-processing tasks such as data analysis, pattern recognition, and aggregation, reducing the burden on vehicle systems and enhancing efficiency. By deploying computing resources closer to the point of data generation, the solution minimizes latency and improves data transmission efficiency, ensuring timely communication between vehicles and the cloud.
Key Challenges Addressed by Surrogates Solution:
- Low Latency Requirements: Surrogates enable simultaneous data transmission between OBUs and data centers with minimal latency, essential for real-time decision-making in autonomous vehicles.
- Data Processing: The solution accelerates the processing of raw data generated by vehicles, producing insightful instructions for physical OBUs efficiently.
- Intermediate Data Layer: Surrogates establish an intermediate layer for storing raw sensor data, facilitating quick insights and responses.
- The proposed architecture utilizes two NFV clouds: a central cloud and an edge infrastructure. OpenStack and OSM manage virtualized resources and orchestrate VNFs, respectively. The edge infrastructure, equipped with MEC capabilities, hosts vOBU VNFs managed by OpenStack. These VNFs communicate with MANO, the OBU manager, and data analytics modules.
Experiments evaluating the solution’s performance showcased its feasibility and effectiveness, suggesting broader applications beyond autonomous vehicles. By leveraging open-source technologies like OpenStack and OSM, the surrogates solution offers a scalable and cost-effective approach to edge computing, with the potential to revolutionize transportation and other industries.
In conclusion, the surrogates solution represents a significant advancement in edge computing for self-driving cars, offering a path towards safer, more efficient, and innovative transportation systems in the 5G era and beyond. The surrogates solution not only addresses the immediate challenges associated with autonomous vehicles but also opens doors to a multitude of innovative applications across various industries. By leveraging open-source technologies like OpenStack and OSM, this solution offers scalability and cost-effectiveness, making edge computing accessible to a wider range of use cases beyond transportation.
Furthermore, the potential impact of the surrogates solution extends beyond autonomous vehicles to encompass a range of industries and applications. From industrial IoT and smart city operations to healthcare and entertainment, the ability to process data efficiently at the edge unlocks new possibilities for innovation and optimization.
Moreover, by decentralizing computing resources and distributing them closer to the point of data generation, the surrogates solution enhances resilience and reliability. This distributed architecture not only reduces dependency on centralized data centers but also improves the overall performance and responsiveness of applications and services.
Overall, the surrogates solution represents a significant step forward in the evolution of edge computing, offering a versatile and adaptable framework for addressing the complex challenges of the 5G era. As the technology continues to mature and evolve, it holds the promise of transforming industries, driving innovation, and improving the quality of life for people around the world.
