The current cloud-centric IoT model has multiple limitations, such as unreliable cloud connectivity, limited bandwidth, long reaction time, lack of self-awareness, and privacy concerns. The next generation of IoT applications must move to the edge or closer to the operational assets to amplify the level of their performance, create a more stable operation, and enable faster response.

This transformation needs to build on localised IoT environments comprised of heterogeneous devices (e.g., edge computers as well as resource-constrained devices) that can collaboratively execute highly automated IoT applications – which include functions for sensing, actuating, reasoning, and control. IntellIoT developed an architectural framework to enable IoT environments for semi-autonomous applications endowed with intelligence, built-in security and trust, and evolving with the human-in-the-loop.

The IntellIoT project mainly focuses on three research aspects and associated next-generation IoT capability component areas, namely collaborative intelligent systems (IoT), human interaction with the intelligent systems and that all these activities are performed in a trustworthy and secure way. These aspects result in three pillars along with IntellIoT’s dynamically managed network and compute infrastructure which are depicted and shortly described below.