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UMBRELLA: A One-Stop Shop Bridging the Gap From Lab to Real-World IoT Experimentation

Authors :
Ioannis Mavromatis
Yichao Jin
Aleksandar Stanoev
Anthony Portelli
Ingram Weeks
Ben Holden
Eliot Glasspole
Tim Farnham
Aftab Khan
Usman Raza
Adnan Aijaz
Thomas Bierton
Ichiro Seto
Nita Patel
Mahesh Sooriyabandara
Source :
IEEE Access, Vol 12, Pp 42181-42213 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
IEEE, 2024.

Abstract

UMBRELLA (A Living Laboratory: https://www.umbrellaiot.com/) is an open, large-scale IoT ecosystem deployed across South Gloucestershire, UK. It is intended to accelerate innovation across multiple technology domains. UMBRELLA is built to bridge the gap between existing specialised testbeds and address holistically real-world technological challenges in a System-of-Systems (SoS) fashion. UMBRELLA provides open access to real-world devices and infrastructure, enabling researchers and the industry to evaluate solutions for Smart Cities, Robotics, Wireless Communications, Edge Intelligence, and more. Key features include over 200 multi-sensor nodes installed on public infrastructure, a robotics arena with 20 mobile robots, a 5G network-in-a-box solution, and a unified backend platform for management, control and secure user access. The heterogeneity of hardware components, including diverse sensors, communication interfaces, and GPU-enabled edge devices, coupled with tools like digital twins, allows for comprehensive experimentation and benchmarking of innovative solutions unviable in lab environments. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of UMBRELLA’s multi-domain architecture and capabilities, making it an ideal playground for Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) innovation. It discusses the challenges in designing, developing and operating UMBRELLA as an open, sustainable testbed and shares lessons learned to guide similar future initiatives. With its unique openness, heterogeneity, realism and tools, UMBRELLA aims to continue accelerating cutting-edge technology research, development and translation into real-world progress.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
21693536
Volume :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
IEEE Access
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.933f373a442047c58895f36cfcce13de
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3377662