Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Internet of Everything: Opportunities and Challenges (2003.13311v2)

Abstract: The recent advances in information and communication technology (ICT) have further extended Internet of Things (IoT) from the sole "things" aspect to the omnipotent role of "intelligent connection of things". Meanwhile, the concept of internet of everything (IoE) is presented as such an omnipotent extension of IoT. However, the IoE realization meets critical challenges including the restricted network coverage and the limited resource of existing network technologies. Recently, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have attracted significant attentions attributed to their high mobility, low cost, and flexible deployment. Thus, UAVs may potentially overcome the challenges of IoE. This article presents a comprehensive survey on opportunities and challenges of UAV-enabled IoE. We first present three critical expectations of IoE: 1) scalability requiring a scalable network architecture with ubiquitous coverage, 2) intelligence requiring a global computing plane enabling intelligent things, 3) diversity requiring provisions of diverse applications. Thereafter, we review the enabling technologies to achieve these expectations and discuss four intrinsic constraints of IoE (i.e., coverage constraint, battery constraint, computing constraint, and security issues). We then present an overview of UAVs. We next discuss the opportunities brought by UAV to IoE. Additionally, we introduce a UAV-enabled IoE (Ue-IoE) solution by exploiting UAVs's mobility, in which we show that Ue-IoE can greatly enhance the scalability, intelligence and diversity of IoE. Finally, we outline the future directions in Ue-IoE.

• The paper examines the integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) into the Internet of Everything (IoE), detailing both the potential opportunities and inherent challenges.
• UAVs offer opportunities to enhance IoE scalability by acting as mobile relays, improve intelligence through aerial edge computing, and support application diversity due to their flexibility.
• Significant challenges for UAV-enabled IoE include limitations in power/battery life, coverage constraints, security and privacy vulnerabilities, and restricted onboard computational capabilities.

UAVs in IoE: Opportunities and Challenges

The paper "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Internet of Everything: Opportunities and Challenges" by Liu, Dai, Wang, Shukla, and Imran presents a detailed examination of the intersection between Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the Internet of Everything (IoE), addressing both the potential and the inherent obstacles of integrating UAVs into IoE ecosystems. The authors systematically dissect three core expectations of IoE—scalability, intelligence, and diversity—and assess how UAVs can potentially fulfill these requirements by overcoming existing infrastructural and technical constraints.

Background and Context

The IoE extends the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) to include not just connected devices but also people and processes, facilitating intelligent services and decision-making. However, scaling IoE faces significant barriers due to network coverage limitations, power constraints of IoE devices, and the security vulnerabilities inherent in such expansive networks. In this complex landscape, UAVs offer promising solutions, owing to their high mobility, low operational costs, and adaptable deployment capabilities.

Opportunities of UAV-Enabled IoE

1. Scalability Enhancement: UAVs can act as mobile base stations or relays, extending network coverage to areas with poor or no connectivity. For example, in remote regions or during infrastructure failure scenarios (such as natural disasters), UAVs can provide temporary yet reliable communication links, leveraging their agile deployment nature to cover harsh environments more effectively than stationary infrastructures.
2. Intelligence Facilitation: The integration of UAVs enables an "aerial edge computing" paradigm where computational tasks can be performed closer to data sources, reducing latency and enhancing real-time data processing capabilities. UAVs can carry lightweight AI algorithms to deliver immediate intelligence, such as adaptive flight path planning or environment monitoring, thereby contributing to both local and global intelligence paradigms within the IoE framework.
3. Application Diversity: UAVs' inherent flexibility supports a wide range of applications, from aerial surveillance and agriculture to emergency response and delivery services. Their ability to gather, process, and relay information dynamically positions them as versatile tools within a diverse IoE application spectrum.

Challenges and Constraints

The deployment of UAVs in IoE is not without challenges. The paper delineates several critical issues:

• Coverage Constraints: While UAVs can extend coverage, sustainability over long durations, especially in remote areas, presents a challenge due to power and environmental limitations.
• Battery and Power: UAV operations are heavily dependent on battery life, which constrains their operational range and duration.
• Security and Privacy: The potential for UAVs to be used in adversarial attacks through tampering or unauthorized access poses significant security challenges.
• Computational Limitations: Although UAVs can perform edge computing tasks, their onboard computational capabilities are limited compared to centralized cloud resources.

Speculation on Future Developments

Future research avenues proposed by the authors include enhancing the autonomous capabilities of UAVs through advanced AI and machine learning techniques, developing secure and energy-efficient network frameworks, and addressing interoperability challenges to harmonize disparate IoE and UAV technologies. Given the broad applicability of UAV-enabled IoE systems across various sectors, evolving regulatory frameworks and technological standards will play vital roles in guiding future developments.

Conclusion

The paper presents a balanced perspective on UAV-enabled IoE, elucidating both the transformative benefits and the profound challenges. By combining UAV flexibility with IoE's expansive interconnectedness, this research lays the groundwork for future exploration in autonomous IoT ecosystems. Through concerted efforts in overcoming the highlighted challenges, UAVs could redefine the practical capabilities of IoE, fostering an era of ubiquitous, intelligent interconnectivity.