Edge Computing for the Internet of Things: A Case Study

The amount of data generated by sensors, actuators and other devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) has substantially increased in the last few years. IoT data are currently processed in the cloud, mostly through computing resources located in distant data centers. As a consequence, network bandwidth and communication latency become serious bottlenecks. This article advocates edge computing for emerging IoT applications that leverage sensor streams to augment interactive applications. First, we classify and survey current edge computing architectures and platforms, then describe key IoT application scenarios that benefit from edge computing. Second, we carry out an experimental evaluation of edge computing and its enabling technologies in a selected use case represented by mobile gaming. To this end, we consider a resource-intensive 3D application as a paradigmatic example and evaluate the response delay in different deployment scenarios. Our experimental results show that edge computing is necessary to meet the latency requirements of applications involving virtual and augmented reality. We conclude by discussing what can be achieved with current edge computing platforms and how emerging technologies will impact on the deployment of future IoT applications.