Safety-Critical Edge Robotics Architecture with Bounded End-to-End Latency

TL;DR

This paper presents an edge computing architecture for safety-critical robotics that ensures fault-tolerance, predictable execution, and bounded latency by integrating Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, and a custom wireless protocol.

Contribution

It introduces a novel edge robotics architecture with resource management and orchestration to guarantee safety, security, and real-time performance in robotics applications.

Findings

Achieved bounded end-to-end latency for robotic tasks.

Demonstrated fault-tolerant execution in edge robotics.

Enhanced resource management for safety-critical applications.

Abstract

Edge computing processes data near its source, reducing latency and enhancing security compared to traditional cloud computing while providing its benefits. This paper explores edge computing for migrating an existing safety-critical robotics use case from an onboard dedicated hardware solution. We propose an edge robotics architecture based on Linux, Docker containers, Kubernetes, and a local wireless area network based on the TTWiFi protocol. Inspired by previous work on real-time cloud, we complement the architecture with a resource management and orchestration layer to help Linux manage, and Kubernetes orchestrate the system-wide shared resources (e.g., caches, memory bandwidth, and network). Our architecture aims to ensure the fault-tolerant and predictable execution of robotic applications (e.g., path planning) on the edge while upper-bounding the end-to-end latency and ensuring the best possible quality of service without jeopardizing safety and security.