The Internet of Things (IoT), a network of interconnected devices equipped with sensors and software, has revolutionized how we interact with the world around us. As technology advances and becomes more accessible, more objects are equipped with connectivity and sensor capabilities, making them part of the IoT ecosystem.
The number of active IoT systems is expected to reach 29.7 billion by 2027, marking a significant surge from the 3.6 billion devices recorded in 2015. This exponential growth requires solutions to mitigate the safety and computational challenges of IoT applications, particularly in industrial IoT, automotive, and smart homes.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role in increasing the efficiency of IoT systems and unlocking their potential. By utilizing sophisticated algorithms and Machine Learning techniques, AI empowers IoT systems to make intelligent decisions and process vast amounts of data. This integration drives operational optimization in industrial IoT, facilitates advanced autonomous vehicles, and offers intelligent energy management and personalized experiences in smart homes.
Deep Learning, a type of AI algorithm that leverages artificial neural networks, is particularly well-suited for IoT systems. It can automatically learn and extract features from raw sensor data, even when the data is unstructured, noisy, or has complex relationships. Deep Learning also enables IoT applications to handle real-time and streaming data efficiently, which is crucial for time-sensitive applications like real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance.
However, implementing Deep Learning in IoT systems has its challenges, such as efficiency and safety. The Very Efficient Deep Learning in IoT (VEDLIoT) project aims to solve these challenges by integrating IoT with Deep Learning to accelerate applications and optimize energy efficiency.
VEDLIoT utilizes specialized AI accelerators to optimize energy consumption and enhance the overall efficiency of Deep Learning models. It employs hardware-aware pruning and quantization techniques to reduce memory footprint while maintaining high accuracy. The project also focuses on safety and security, ensuring the integrity and reliability of Deep Learning models deployed in IoT systems. Additionally, VEDLIoT leverages customizable hardware platforms to meet specific IoT requirements and optimize Deep Learning algorithms.
VEDLIoT concentrates on various use cases, including demand-oriented interaction methods in smart homes, motor condition classification and arc detection in industrial IoT, and the pedestrian automatic emergency braking (PAEB) system in the automotive sector.
By combining expert-level knowledge from diverse domains, VEDLIoT aims to create a robust middleware that facilitates the development, testing, benchmarking, and deployment of Deep Learning algorithms within IoT systems. The project’s objective is to optimize and enhance the effectiveness of Deep Learning in IoT applications.