Edge-Centric Telepresence Robot Control for Low-Latency Maneuvering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tele-presence robotic systems face communication delays and inefficiencies due to cloud-based computations, which hinder real-time applications and require a robust communication framework with minimal network overhead.
Innovation Solution
An edge-centric communication protocol is implemented, where a dedicated edge device manages sessions between a master device and a tele-presence robot, converting control commands and enabling autonomous or manual navigation, reducing computational load on the robot and optimizing resource consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If cloud-based computations are used for tele-presence robot control, then centralized processing capability is improved, but communication delays increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the centralized cloud computing architecture into distributed edge computing nodes deployed closer to robots. This segmentation reduces communication delays by processing control commands and sensor data locally at edge devices rather than transmitting all data to distant cloud servers, while maintaining distributed processing capabilities across multiple edge nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
Edge computing devices serve as intermediary components between cloud infrastructure and robots. These intermediaries pre-process data locally, cache frequently accessed information, and handle time-sensitive control operations, thereby reducing the need for constant cloud-robot communication while maintaining the benefits of centralized cloud resources for non-time-critical tasks.
2Reliability
If a robust communication framework is implemented for tele-presence robots, then system reliability is improved, but communication overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication framework implements partial redundancy by establishing multiple communication paths and protocols selectively. Critical control commands use reliable but bandwidth-intensive protocols, while non-critical telemetry data uses lighter protocols. This partial application of robust communication mechanisms maintains system reliability for essential functions while reducing overall communication overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes communication parameters such as data transmission frequency, protocol selection, and compression levels based on operational context. During autonomous operation, communication frequency is reduced, while during manual control or critical events, communication intensity increases. This parameter adaptation maintains reliability when needed while minimizing overhead during routine operations.
3Power
If computational resources are concentrated in the cloud, then processing power is improved, but resource consumption at robot endpoints increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts computationally intensive functions from robot endpoints and relocates them to edge computing infrastructure. Functions such as path planning, obstacle detection, and command interpretation are processed at edge devices rather than requiring full processing capability on the robot itself. This extraction reduces the computational burden and energy consumption at mobile robot endpoints while maintaining access to powerful processing resources.
Data Source
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AI summary
Robotic platform for tele-presence applications has gained paramount importance, such as for remote meetings, group discussions, and the like and has sought much attention. There exist some robotic platforms for such tele-presence applications, these lack efficacy in communication and interaction between remote person and avatar robot deployed in another geographic location thus adding network overhead. Embodiments of the present disclosure for edge centric communication protocol for remotely maneuvering tele-presence robot in geographically distributed environment. More specifically, edge-centric tele-presence robot architecture is provided for maneuvering tele-presence robot in distributed geographical environment, wherein the architecture provides a framework that implements both cloud and edge-centric systems together with a first communication protocol for communication between a master device and an edge device and a second communication protocol different from the first communication protocol for communication between the edge device and the tele-presence robot to improve robustness and efficacy in communication.