This letter puts forth a new hybrid horizontal-vertical federated learning (HoVeFL) for mobile edge computing-enabled Internet of Things (EdgeIoT). In this framework, certain EdgeIoT devices train local models using the same data samples but analyze disparate data features, while the others focus on the same features using non-independent and identically distributed (non-IID) data samples. Thus, even though the data features are consistent, the data samples vary across devices. The proposed HoVeFL formulates the training of local and global models to minimize the global loss function. Performance evaluations on CIFAR-10 and SVHN datasets reveal that the testing loss of HoVeFL with 12 horizontal FL devices and six vertical FL devices is 5.5% and 25.2% higher, respectively, compared to a setup with six horizontal FL devices and 12 vertical FL devices.
Finding an optimal energy-efficient policy that is adaptable to underlying edge devices while meeting deadlines for tasks has always been challenging. This research studies generalized systems with multi-task, multi-deadline scenarios with reinforcement learning-based DVFS for energy saving for periodic soft real-time applications on edge devices. This work addresses the limitation of previous work that models a periodic system as a single task and single-deadline scenario, which is too simplified to cope with complex situations. The method encodes time series data in the Linux kernel into information that is easy to interpret for reinforcement learning, allowing the system to generate DVFS policies to adapt system patterns based on the general workload. For encoding, we present two different methods for comparison. Both methods use only one performance counter: system utilization, and the kernel only needs minimal information from the userspace. Our method is implemented on Jetson Nano Board (2GB) and is tested with three fixed multitask workloads, which are three, five, and eight tasks in the workload, respectively. For randomness and generalization, we also designed a random workload generator to build different multitask workloads to test. Based on the test results, our method could save 3%-10% power compared to Linux built-in governors.
Deep learning architectures with powerful reasoning capabilities have driven significant advancements in autonomous driving technology. Large language models (LLMs) applied in this field can describe driving scenes and behaviors with a level of accuracy similar to human perception, particularly in visual tasks. Meanwhile, the rapid development of edge computing, with its advantage of proximity to data sources, has made edge devices increasingly important in autonomous driving. Edge devices process data locally, reducing transmission delays and bandwidth usage, and achieving faster response times. In this work, we propose a driving behavior narration and reasoning framework that applies LLMs to edge devices. The framework consists of multiple roadside units, with LLMs deployed on each unit. These roadside units collect road data and communicate via 5G NSR/NR networks. Our experiments show that LLMs deployed on edge devices can achieve satisfactory response speeds. Additionally, we propose a prompt strategy to enhance the narration and reasoning performance of the system. This strategy integrates multi-modal information, including environmental, agent, and motion data. Experiments conducted on the OpenDV-Youtube dataset demonstrate that our approach significantly improves performance across both tasks.
As mobile devices increasingly become focal points for advanced applications, edge computing presents a viable solution to their inherent computational limitations, particularly in deploying large language models (LLMs). However, despite the advancements in edge computing, significant challenges remain in efficient training and deploying LLMs due to the computational demands and data privacy concerns associated with these models. This paper explores a collaborative training framework that integrates mobile users with edge servers to optimize resource allocation, thereby enhancing both performance and efficiency. Our approach leverages parameter-efficient fine-tuning (PEFT) methods, allowing mobile users to adjust the initial layers of the LLM while edge servers handle the more demanding latter layers. Specifically, we formulate a multi-objective optimization problem to minimize the total energy consumption and delay during training. We also address the common issue of instability in model performance by incorporating stability enhancements into our objective function. Through novel fractional programming technique, we achieve a stationary point for the formulated problem. Simulations demonstrate that our method reduces the energy consumption as well as the latency, and increases the reliability of LLMs across various mobile settings.
In the realm of emerging real-time networked applications like cyber-physical systems (CPS), the Age of Information (AoI) has merged as a pivotal metric for evaluating the timeliness. To meet the high computational demands, such as those in intelligent manufacturing within CPS, mobile edge computing (MEC) presents a promising solution for optimizing computing and reducing AoI. In this work, we study the timeliness of computational-intensive updates and explores jointly optimize the task updating and offloading policies to minimize AoI. Specifically, we consider edge load dynamics and formulate a task scheduling problem to minimize the expected time-average AoI. The fractional objective introduced by AoI and the semi-Markov game nature of the problem render this challenge particularly difficult, with existing approaches not directly applicable. To this end, we present a comprehensive framework to fractional reinforcement learning (RL). We first introduce a fractional single-agent RL framework and prove its linear convergence. We then extend this to a fractional multi-agent RL framework with a convergence analysis. To tackle the challenge of asynchronous control in semi-Markov game, we further design an asynchronous model-free fractional multi-agent RL algorithm, where each device makes scheduling decisions with the hybrid action space without knowing the system dynamics and decisions of other devices. Experimental results show that our proposed algorithms reduce the average AoI by up to 52.6% compared with the best baseline algorithm in our experiments.
Modern applications, such as autonomous vehicles, require deploying deep learning algorithms on resource-constrained edge devices for real-time image and video processing. However, there is limited understanding of the efficiency and performance of various object detection models on these devices. In this paper, we evaluate state-of-the-art object detection models, including YOLOv8 (Nano, Small, Medium), EfficientDet Lite (Lite0, Lite1, Lite2), and SSD (SSD MobileNet V1, SSDLite MobileDet). We deployed these models on popular edge devices like the Raspberry Pi 3, 4, and 5 with/without TPU accelerators, and Jetson Orin Nano, collecting key performance metrics such as energy consumption, inference time, and Mean Average Precision (mAP). Our findings highlight that lower mAP models such as SSD MobileNet V1 are more energy-efficient and faster in inference, whereas higher mAP models like YOLOv8 Medium generally consume more energy and have slower inference, though with exceptions when accelerators like TPUs are used. Among the edge devices, Jetson Orin Nano stands out as the fastest and most energy-efficient option for request handling, despite having the highest idle energy consumption. These results emphasize the need to balance accuracy, speed, and energy efficiency when deploying deep learning models on edge devices, offering valuable guidance for practitioners and researchers selecting models and devices for their applications.
This paper investigates scaling laws for local SGD in LLM training, a distributed optimization algorithm that facilitates training on loosely connected devices. Through extensive experiments, we show that local SGD achieves competitive results compared to conventional methods, given equivalent model parameters, datasets, and computational resources. Furthermore, we explore the application of local SGD in various practical scenarios, including multi-cluster setups and edge computing environments. Our findings elucidate the necessary conditions for effective multi-cluster LLM training and examine the potential and limitations of leveraging edge computing resources in the LLM training process. This demonstrates its viability as an alternative to single large-cluster training.
Federated learning faces a critical challenge in balancing communication efficiency with rapid convergence, especially for second-order methods. While Newton-type algorithms achieve linear convergence in communication rounds, transmitting full Hessian matrices is often impractical due to quadratic complexity. We introduce Federated Learning with Enhanced Nesterov-Newton Sketch (FLeNS), a novel method that harnesses both the acceleration capabilities of Nesterov's method and the dimensionality reduction benefits of Hessian sketching. FLeNS approximates the centralized Newton's method without relying on the exact Hessian, significantly reducing communication overhead. By combining Nesterov's acceleration with adaptive Hessian sketching, FLeNS preserves crucial second-order information while preserving the rapid convergence characteristics. Our theoretical analysis, grounded in statistical learning, demonstrates that FLeNS achieves super-linear convergence rates in communication rounds - a notable advancement in federated optimization. We provide rigorous convergence guarantees and characterize tradeoffs between acceleration, sketch size, and convergence speed. Extensive empirical evaluation validates our theoretical findings, showcasing FLeNS's state-of-the-art performance with reduced communication requirements, particularly in privacy-sensitive and edge-computing scenarios. The code is available at https://github.com/sunnyinAI/FLeNS
Federated Learning (FL) is a distributed machine learning paradigm designed for privacy-sensitive applications that run on resource-constrained devices with non-Identically and Independently Distributed (IID) data. Traditional FL frameworks adopt the client-server model with a single-level aggregation (AGR) process, where the server builds the global model by aggregating all trained local models received from client devices. However, this conventional approach encounters challenges, including susceptibility to model/data poisoning attacks. In recent years, advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing have enabled the development of hierarchical FL systems with a two-level AGR process running at edge and cloud servers. In this paper, we propose a Secure Hierarchical FL (SHFL) framework to address poisoning attacks in hierarchical edge networks. By aggregating trained models at the edge, SHFL employs two novel methods to address model/data poisoning attacks in the presence of client adversaries: 1) a client selection algorithm running at the edge for choosing IoT devices to participate in training, and 2) a model AGR method designed based on convex optimization theory to reduce the impact of edge models from networks with adversaries in the process of computing the global model (at the cloud level). The evaluation results reveal that compared to state-of-the-art methods, SHFL significantly increases the maximum accuracy achieved by the global model in the presence of client adversaries applying model/data poisoning attacks.
Developing dedicated mixed-signal neuromorphic computing systems optimized for real-time sensory-processing in extreme edge-computing applications requires time-consuming design, fabrication, and deployment of full-custom neuromorphic processors. To ensure that initial prototyping efforts, exploring the properties of different network architectures and parameter settings, lead to realistic results, it is important to use simulation frameworks that match as best as possible the properties of the final hardware. This is particularly challenging for neuromorphic hardware platforms made using mixed-signal analog/digital circuits, due to the variability and noise sensitivity of their components. In this paper, we address this challenge by developing a software spiking neural network simulator explicitly designed to account for the properties of mixed-signal neuromorphic circuits, including device mismatch variability. The simulator, called ARCANA (A Realistic Simulation Framework for Analog/Digital Neuromorphic Architectures), is designed to reproduce the dynamics of mixed-signal synapse and neuron electronic circuits with autogradient differentiation for parameter optimization and GPU acceleration. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by matching software simulation results with measurements made from an existing neuromorphic processor. We show how the results obtained provide a reliable estimate of the behavior of the spiking neural network trained in software, once deployed in hardware. This framework enables the development and innovation of new learning rules and processing architectures in neuromorphic embedded systems.
Oxygenators, alarm devices, and footsteps are some of the most common sound sources in a hospital. Detecting them has scientific value for environmental psychology but comes with challenges of its own: namely, privacy preservation and limited labeled data. In this paper, we address these two challenges via a combination of edge computing and cloud computing. For privacy preservation, we have designed an acoustic sensor which computes third-octave spectrograms on the fly instead of recording audio waveforms. For sample-efficient machine learning, we have repurposed a pretrained audio neural network (PANN) via spectral transcoding and label space adaptation. A small-scale study in a neonatological intensive care unit (NICU) confirms that the time series of detected events align with another modality of measurement: i.e., electronic badges for parents and healthcare professionals. Hence, this paper demonstrates the feasibility of polyphonic machine listening in a hospital ward while guaranteeing privacy by design.
Convolutional neural network (CNN) performs well in Hyperspectral Image (HSI) classification tasks, but its high energy consumption and complex network structure make it difficult to directly apply it to edge computing devices. At present, spiking neural networks (SNN) have developed rapidly in HSI classification tasks due to their low energy consumption and event driven characteristics. However, it usually requires a longer time step to achieve optimal accuracy. In response to the above problems, this paper builds a spiking neural network (SNN-SWMR) based on the leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF) neuron model for HSI classification tasks. The network uses the spiking width mixed residual (SWMR) module as the basic unit to perform feature extraction operations. The spiking width mixed residual module is composed of spiking mixed convolution (SMC), which can effectively extract spatial-spectral features. Secondly, this paper designs a simple and efficient arcsine approximate derivative (AAD), which solves the non-differentiable problem of spike firing by fitting the Dirac function. Through AAD, we can directly train supervised spike neural networks. Finally, this paper conducts comparative experiments with multiple advanced HSI classification algorithms based on spiking neural networks on six public hyperspectral data sets. Experimental results show that the AAD function has strong robustness and a good fitting effect. Meanwhile, compared with other algorithms, SNN-SWMR requires a time step reduction of about 84%, training time, and testing time reduction of about 63% and 70% at the same accuracy. This study solves the key problem of SNN based HSI classification algorithms, which has important practical significance for promoting the practical application of HSI classification algorithms in edge devices such as spaceborne and airborne devices.
With the widespread adoption of 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, the low latency provided by edge computing has great importance for real-time processing. However, managing numerous simultaneous service requests poses a significant challenge to maintaining low latency. Current edge server task scheduling methods often fail to balance multiple optimization goals effectively. This paper introduces a novel task-scheduling approach based on Evolutionary Computing (EC) theory and heuristic algorithms. We model service requests as task sequences and evaluate various scheduling schemes during each evolutionary process using Large Language Models (LLMs) services. Experimental results show that our task-scheduling algorithm outperforms existing heuristic and traditional reinforcement learning methods. Additionally, we investigate the effects of different heuristic strategies and compare the evolutionary outcomes across various LLM services.
Industrial cyber-physical systems (ICPS) integrate physical processes with computational and communication technologies in industrial settings. With the support of edge computing technology, it is feasible to schedule large-scale sensors for efficient distributed sensing. In the sensing process, observability is the key to obtaining complete system states, and stochastic scheduling is more suitable considering uncertain factors in wireless communication. However, existing works have limited research on observability in stochastic scheduling. Targeting this issue, we propose an observability-based intelligent distributed edge sensing method (OIDM). Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) methods are adopted to optimize sensing accuracy and power efficiency. Based on the system's ability to achieve observability, we establish a bridge between observability and the number of successful sensor transmissions. Novel linear approximations of observability criteria are provided, and probabilistic bounds on observability are derived. Furthermore, these bounds guide the design of action space to achieve a probabilistic observability guarantee in stochastic scheduling. Finally, our proposed method is applied to the estimation of slab temperature in industrial hot rolling process, and simulation results validate its effectiveness.
Building elastic and scalable edge resources is an inevitable prerequisite for providing platform-based smart city services. Smart city services are delivered through edge computing to provide low-latency applications. However, edge computing has always faced the challenge of limited resources. A single edge device cannot undertake the various intelligent computations in a smart city, and the large-scale deployment of edge devices from different service providers to build an edge resource platform has become a necessity. Selecting computing power from different service providers is a game-theoretic problem. To incentivize service providers to actively contribute their valuable resources and provide low-latency collaborative computing power, we introduce a game-theoretic deep learning model to reach a consensus among service providers on task scheduling and resource provisioning. Traditional centralized resource management approaches are inefficient and lack credibility, while the introduction of blockchain technology can enable decentralized resource trading and scheduling. We propose a contribution-based proof mechanism to provide the low-latency service of edge computing. The deep learning model consists of dual encoders and a single decoder, where the GNN (Graph Neural Network) encoder processes structured decision action data, and the RNN (Recurrent Neural Network) encoder handles time-series task scheduling data. Extensive experiments have demonstrated that our model reduces latency by 584% compared to the state-of-the-art.
In this article, we review a class of neuro-mimetic computational models that we place under the label of spiking predictive coding. Specifically, we review the general framework of predictive processing in the context of neurons that emit discrete action potentials, i.e., spikes. Theoretically, we structure our survey around how prediction errors are represented, which results in an organization of historical neuromorphic generalizations that is centered around three broad classes of approaches: prediction errors in explicit groups of error neurons, in membrane potentials, and implicit prediction error encoding. Furthermore, we examine some applications of spiking predictive coding that utilize more energy-efficient, edge-computing hardware platforms. Finally, we highlight important future directions and challenges in this emerging line of inquiry in brain-inspired computing. Building on the prior results of work in computational cognitive neuroscience, machine intelligence, and neuromorphic engineering, we hope that this review of neuromorphic formulations and implementations of predictive coding will encourage and guide future research and development in this emerging research area.
In the human activity recognition research area, prior studies predominantly concentrate on leveraging advanced algorithms on public datasets to enhance recognition performance, little attention has been paid to executing real-time kitchen activity recognition on energy-efficient, cost-effective edge devices. Besides, the prevalent approach of segregating data collection and context extraction across different devices escalates power usage, latency, and user privacy risks, impeding widespread adoption. This work presents a multi-modal wearable edge computing system for human activity recognition in real-time. Integrating six different sensors, ranging from inertial measurement units (IMUs) to thermal cameras, and two different microcontrollers, this system achieves end-to-end activity recognition, from data capture to context extraction, locally. Evaluation in an unmodified realistic kitchen validates its efficacy in recognizing fifteen activities, including a null class. Employing a compact machine learning model (184.5 kbytes) yields an average accuracy of 87.83 \%, with model inference completed in 25.26 ms on the microcontroller. Comparative analysis with alternative microcontrollers showcases power consumption and inference speed performance, demonstrating the proposed system's viability.
The ability to estimate 3D movements of users over edge computing-enabled networks, such as 5G/6G networks, is a key enabler for the new era of extended reality (XR) and Metaverse applications. Recent advancements in deep learning have shown advantages over optimization techniques for estimating 3D human poses given spare measurements from sensor signals, i.e., inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors attached to the XR devices. However, the existing works lack applicability to wireless systems, where transmitting the IMU signals over noisy wireless networks poses significant challenges. Furthermore, the potential redundancy of the IMU signals has not been considered, resulting in highly redundant transmissions. In this work, we propose a novel approach for redundancy removal and lightweight transmission of IMU signals over noisy wireless environments. Our approach utilizes a random Gaussian matrix to transform the original signal into a lower-dimensional space. By leveraging the compressive sensing theory, we have proved that the designed Gaussian matrix can project the signal into a lower-dimensional space and preserve the Set-Restricted Eigenvalue condition, subject to a power transmission constraint. Furthermore, we develop a deep generative model at the receiver to recover the original IMU signals from noisy compressed data, thus enabling the creation of 3D human body movements at the receiver for XR and Metaverse applications. Simulation results on a real-world IMU dataset show that our framework can achieve highly accurate 3D human poses of the user using only $82\%$ of the measurements from the original signals. This is comparable to an optimization-based approach, i.e., Lasso, but is an order of magnitude faster.
Terahertz (THz) space communications (Tera-SpaceCom) is envisioned as a promising technology to enable various space science and communication applications. Mainly, the realm of Tera-SpaceCom consists of THz sensing for space exploration, data centers in space providing cloud services for space exploration tasks, and a low earth orbit (LEO) mega-constellation relaying these tasks to ground stations (GSs) or data centers via THz links. Moreover, to reduce the computational burden on data centers as well as resource consumption and latency in the relaying process, the LEO mega-constellation provides satellite edge computing (SEC) services to directly compute space exploration tasks without relaying these tasks to data centers. The LEO satellites that receive space exploration tasks offload (i.e., distribute) partial tasks to their neighboring LEO satellites, to further reduce their computational burden. However, efficient joint communication resource allocation and computing task offloading for the Tera-SpaceCom SEC network is an NP-hard mixed-integer nonlinear programming problem (MINLP), due to the discrete nature of space exploration tasks and sub-arrays as well as the continuous nature of transmit power. To tackle this challenge, a graph neural network (GNN)-deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based joint resource allocation and task offloading (GRANT) algorithm is proposed with the target of long-term resource efficiency (RE). Particularly, GNNs learn relationships among different satellites from their connectivity information. Furthermore, multi-agent and multi-task mechanisms cooperatively train task offloading and resource allocation. Compared with benchmark solutions, GRANT not only achieves the highest RE with relatively low latency, but realizes the fewest trainable parameters and the shortest running time.
Omnidirectional Depth Estimation has broad application prospects in fields such as robotic navigation and autonomous driving. In this paper, we propose a robotic prototype system and corresponding algorithm designed to validate omnidirectional depth estimation for navigation and obstacle avoidance in real-world scenarios for both robots and vehicles. The proposed HexaMODE system captures 360$^\circ$ depth maps using six surrounding arranged fisheye cameras. We introduce a combined spherical sweeping method and optimize the model architecture for proposed RtHexa-OmniMVS algorithm to achieve real-time omnidirectional depth estimation. To ensure high accuracy, robustness, and generalization in real-world environments, we employ a teacher-student self-training strategy, utilizing large-scale unlabeled real-world data for model training. The proposed algorithm demonstrates high accuracy in various complex real-world scenarios, both indoors and outdoors, achieving an inference speed of 15 fps on edge computing platforms.