UAV-Enabled Mobile Edge-Computing for IoT Based on AI: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are becoming integrated into a wide range of modern IoT applications. The growing number of networked IoT devices generates a large amount of data. However, processing and memorizing this massive volume of data at local nodes have been deemed critical challenges, especially when using artificial intelligence (AI) systems to extract and exploit valuable information. In this context, mobile edge computing (MEC) has emerged as a way to bring cloud computing (CC) processes within reach of users, to address computation-intensive offloading and latency issues. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the most relevant research works related to UAV technology applications in terms of enabled or assisted MEC architectures. It details the utility of UAV-enabled MEC architecture regarding emerging IoT applications and the role of both deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) in meeting various limitations related to latency, task offloading, energy demand, and security. Furthermore, throughout this article, the reader gains an insight into the future of UAV-enabled MEC, the advantages and the critical challenges to be tackled when using AI.