EDGE conducts multidisciplinary research in pervasive computing, wireless systems, and sensor data analytics across key domains. Our scientific endeavors aim to address societal challenges and advance fundamental technologies.
In the mobility domain, we focus on cooperative driving systems and sensor-equipped bicycles for efficient mobility solutions. Energy research centers on smart grid technologies for renewable energy integration. Industry inquiries involve predictive analytics, machine learning, and AI for equipment maintenance and secure industrial networks. Within health and sports emphasize wearable computing for performance improvement, elderly care, and rehabilitation. In the sustainability domain we focus on smart sensing and AI methodologies for environmental monitoring, but also to make ICT more sustainable by itself. Communication Infrastructure & Security explores resilient platforms for the IoT-edge-cloud continuum, addressing disruptions, resource allocation, and processing trade-offs.
Mobility
At EDGE, we perform research into sensing, computing, and communications for mobility. We design and analyse network systems for safe and efficient cooperative driving and we explore the benefits of equipping bicycles with sensing and communication capabilities, and we investigate how for instance crowd management or charging a fleet electrical vehicles can be done more efficiently, by collecting and analyzing large amount of relevant mobility data.
We address questions like: How can vehicular communication systems be designed to ensure reliable and low-latency communication among vehicles, infrastructure, and pedestrians? How can the privacy of individuals' mobility data be preserved while still enabling effective data collection for traffic management and safety purposes? What techniques can effectively fuse data from various sensors to enhance safety of cyclists?
Energy
To facilitate the transition of our society to renewable energy, the move to a smart grid is unavoidable; an energy grid that allows for more efficient use of all forms of energy through the use of “smart” solutions. These solutions come in the form of information and communication technologies on all levels in the grid, from a “smart” device in households to improved forecasting and modelling on national or even international levels of the grid. At EDGE, we develop such solutions and analyse how they facilitate the energy transition in a secure and safe way.
We are seeking answers to questions like: How can advanced forecasting techniques be applied to accurately predict renewable energy generation, consumption patterns, and market dynamics on various time scales? How can demand response strategies and real-time energy management systems be developed to engage consumers in optimizing their energy consumption patterns based on real-time grid conditions and pricing signals?
Industry
Venture into the forefront of industrial innovation with our research, where advanced data analytics, machine learning, and AI converge to predict equipment failures and enhance maintenance based on sensor data. We tackle challenges in ensuring low-latency communication, high reliability for time-sensitive processes, and maintaining data accuracy in dynamic industrial environments. Committed to cybersecurity, we develop mechanisms to secure industrial networks, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of critical data and control systems. Join us as we drive technological advancements, forging a secure and efficient path for the future of industrial processes.
We are addressing research questions like: How can advanced data analytics, including machine learning and AI, be utilized to predict equipment failures and maintenance needs based on sensor data? What mechanisms can be employed to ensure low-latency communication and high reliability, crucial for time-sensitive industrial processes? How can we ensure the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data collected from various sensors in a dynamic industrial environment? How can industrial and operational networks be secured from cyber threats, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data and control systems?
Such questions are addressed in the concept of a "smart industry" aimed at enhancing efficiency, productivity, and sustainability through the integration of digital technologies.
Health and sports
Welcome to the forefront of health and sports innovation. Our research not only seeks to optimize athlete performance but also explores cutting-edge solutions for extending the safe independence of elderly individuals at home.
In this domain we try to find answers to questions like: How to improve the performance of a sporter? How to make elderly people stay safely at home longer? How to improve the rehabilitation process of a COPD patient? How to improve the health and performance of horses? How can long-term data collected from wearable devices be analyzed to identify trends, anomalies, or correlations that contribute to improving athletic training, health management, or rehabilitation strategies?
All such questions we address through wearable computing and unobtrusive sensing, in which activity monitoring and recognition, coupled with real-time feedback to the persons, is one of the enabling methods.
Sustainability and bio-diversity
At the intersection of technology and environmental stewardship, our work is dedicated to ensuring a harmonious coexistence with the planet. We tackle pressing questions, such as how to live comfortably in a clean environment, address climate change effects on ecosystems. Employing smart sensing technologies and artificial intelligence methodologies, we monitor and analyze long-term environmental changes, detect anomalies, and strive to build a sustainable future.
How to ensure that we will be able to live comfortably in a clean environment? How can we address climate change, and evaluate the effects on the Great Barrier Reef or the Waddenzee? How to make an energy-efficient building? Biodiversity in and around urban areas are under intense pressure through growing urbanization and transport infrastructures.
In this research line we design smart sensing technologies and artificial intelligence methodologies to monitor and analyze long-term changes in the environment and detect changes and anomalies.
COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE & SECURITY
Networked systems distribute their sensing, computation, and storage capabilities over the IoT-edge-cloud continuum. The communication infrastructure is key to provide a resilient, high-performance platform to interconnect different parts of the continuum. At EDGE, we develop novel approaches to assess the performance and security of these communication networks. We are designing new architectures, algorithms, and protocols to make these networks, both wireless access networks, and the core of the Internet more secure, resilient, and energy efficient.
We find answers to questions such as: How can communication network architectures be designed to withstand disruptions, failures, and attacks, ensuring continuous connectivity across the IoT-edge-cloud continuum? What resource allocation and management algorithms can dynamically distribute computing, storage, and communication resources based on changing demand and network conditions? What trade-offs exist between offloading tasks to the cloud versus processing them at the edge in terms of energy consumption and latency?