Rebirth: Starting from Lighting Up the Tech Tree

Chapter 80 IoT Solutions

On the day the joint laboratory was officially established, Ma Hao brought a technical report.

"Mr. Zuo, I've completed the algorithm framework for sensor data compression and transmission." He placed the report on Zuo Cheng's desk, "but I've discovered a problem."

Zuo Cheng opened the report and quickly glanced at it. Ma Hao's algorithm framework was well-designed, covering all four stages of sensor data acquisition, compression, transmission, and decompression. However, there was a significant bottleneck in the transmission stage.

"Is the transmission latency too high?" Zuo Cheng said.

"Yes," Ma Hao said, pointing to the data charts in the report. "In a scenario where tens of thousands of sensor nodes are uploading data simultaneously, the transmission latency can spike from milliseconds to seconds. This is because the scheduling between sensor nodes hasn't been optimized; everyone is scrambling to upload, causing channel congestion."

"So how do you plan to resolve this?"

"I'm thinking about whether we can transfer the adaptive coding and modulation approach from the Sky Dome project," Ma Hao said. "The channel state of sensor nodes also changes dynamically. If we can adaptively adjust transmission parameters according to the channel state, just like the Sky Dome terminal, we can significantly reduce congestion."

Zuo Cheng's heart skipped a beat. Adaptive coding modulation is the core technology of Project Sky Dome, and now Ma Hao is proposing to use it in the Internet of Things field. Isn't this a cross-domain technology transfer? And coincidentally, the technology integration function on the technology tree is exactly what it does.

"The idea is good," Zuo Cheng said, "but adaptive coding modulation is used in satellite communications, and directly migrating it to the Internet of Things (IoT) will cause compatibility issues. The computing power and power consumption of IoT nodes are far less than those of the Tianqiong terminal, so the algorithm must be modified to be lightweight."

"No problem, I'll do it," Ma Hao said. "Give me two weeks."

Zuo Cheng nodded. After Ma Hao left, he closed the door and opened the system panel.

He had been waiting for the right moment to integrate technologies, and now that moment has arrived. The integration of the adaptive coding and modulation leaf on the trunk of communication engineering with the edge computing gateway leaf on the trunk of the Internet of Things may create a new integrated leaf, specifically designed to solve intelligent scheduling problems in IoT scenarios.

He selected two blades and initiated the technological integration.

[Will we integrate technology?]

[Integration Target: Adaptive Encoding Modulation + Edge Computing Gateway]

[Cost: 5 points]

[Expected Outcome: Generates fused blades, significantly improving IoT edge scheduling efficiency]

Zuo Cheng confirmed the fusion.

Five points were deducted from the total amount, and the light from the two blades on the system panel intertwined, rotating, merging, and reshaping. A few seconds later, a dazzling light flashed, and a brand new fused blade was born.

[Integration Complete]

[New Blade: Intelligent Edge Scheduling System]

[Results: Adaptive scheduling efficiency of IoT edge nodes improved by 1.2 times, transmission latency reduced by 60%]

Current points: 145

Zuo Cheng took a deep breath. With a 60% reduction in transmission latency and a 30% increase in collaborative efficiency inherent in the Internet of Things (IoT) framework, 402's IoT solution is a whole generation ahead of the industry in transmission scheduling.

He closed the system panel and called Ma Hao back.

"Ma Hao, I have an idea about the problem you just mentioned," Zuo Cheng said. "Add an adaptive scheduling function to the edge computing gateway, allowing each IoT gateway to dynamically adjust the upload timing and transmission parameters of sensor nodes based on the current channel status and load. This way, the sensor nodes themselves don't need to have strong computing power; the scheduling logic is all handled by the gateway."

Ma Hao paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "Edge scheduling! That way, the sensor nodes only need to perform the most basic data acquisition and compression, while the gateway handles all the complex scheduling calculations. The problems of computing power and power consumption are solved!"

"Yes," Zuo Cheng said. "Go back and refine this idea, and develop a technical solution. If the solution passes verification, we'll add it to the smart city plan."

"Understood!" Ma Hao practically jogged away.

Watching his departing figure, Zuo Cheng knew very well that this idea of ​​"edge scheduling" was not something he had come up with out of thin air, but rather the result of technological integration. However, to outsiders, it was simply another instance of Zuo Cheng's technological intuition at work.

This is the most amazing thing about the technology tree; it provides Zuo Cheng with technological capabilities that are ahead of their time, but everyone thinks it's just his own talent and intuition.

In the afternoon, Zuo Cheng took Han Lu to the Hangzhou Municipal Government.

The person in charge of the smart city project is the deputy director of the municipal government information center, surnamed Zhao, in his forties, and he speaks very pragmatically. He had previously been in contact with Huaxin, but he was not satisfied with Huaxin's proposal.

"CEFC's solution is technically sound, but their price is too high," Director Zhao said. "Our budget is limited. Smart cities are a public welfare project, not a military one; there's no need to use the most expensive solution."

Zuo Cheng seized the opportunity: "Director Zhao, 402's IoT solution uses a distributed architecture, which is more than 30% cheaper than Huaxin's centralized architecture. Moreover, our edge scheduling technology can reduce transmission latency to 40% of traditional solutions, while achieving better performance."

Director Zhao became interested: "Edge scheduling? Tell me more about it."

Zuo Cheng briefly explained Ma Hao's solution framework, emphasizing its three advantages: low cost, low latency, and ease of deployment. Director Zhao listened attentively, nodding occasionally.

"Interesting," Director Zhao said. "The solutions from the companies I met before all focused on piling on hardware and computing power, resulting in high costs. Your lightweight approach might be more practical. Show me a detailed plan first, and if it's suitable, we can pilot it. We'll start in one district, and if it works well, we can roll it out citywide."

"Okay." Zuo Cheng stood up, shook hands with Director Zhao, and said, "I'll give you the plan within a week."

Leaving the municipal government building, Han Lu breathed a sigh of relief: "President Zuo, I think there's a chance. Director Zhao is clearly dissatisfied with Huaxin's proposal and is just waiting for an alternative."

"We can't let our guard down," Zuo Cheng said. "Huaxin won't give up on this project easily. Go back and keep an eye on their movements; let me know immediately if you hear anything."

"clear."

Outside the car window, the streets of Hangzhou were bustling with traffic. 402's IoT solution was just beginning, but Zuo Cheng had already envisioned its future: from Hangzhou to the entire province, and from the province to the whole country, a smart network covering everything was slowly taking shape in his hands. And the three branches of the technology tree were providing a continuous source of power for this network.