An Edge-Computing Based Architecture for Mobile Augmented Reality

TL;DR

This paper proposes a hierarchical edge computing architecture for mobile augmented reality to reduce latency and energy consumption, demonstrating significant performance improvements through simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hierarchical architecture with an edge layer and an operation mechanism to enhance mobile AR performance.

Findings

Significant reduction in latency compared to baseline schemes.

Notable decrease in energy consumption for AR applications.

Improved quality of experience (QoE) for AR users.

Abstract

In order to mitigate the long processing delay and high energy consumption of mobile augmented reality (AR) applications, mobile edge computing (MEC) has been recently proposed and is envisioned as a promising means to deliver better quality of experience (QoE) for AR consumers. In this article, we first present a comprehensive AR overview, including the indispensable components of general AR applications, fashionable AR devices, and several existing techniques for overcoming the thorny latency and energy consumption problems. Then, we propose a novel hierarchical computation architecture by inserting an edge layer between the conventional user layer and cloud layer. Based on the proposed architecture, we further develop an innovated operation mechanism to improve the performance of mobile AR applications. Three key technologies are also discussed to further assist the proposed AR architecture. Simulation results are finally provided to verify that our proposals can significantly improve the latency and energy performance as compared against existing baseline schemes.