Lightweight Virtualization as Enabling Technology for Future Smart Cars

Modern vehicles are equipped with several interconnected sensors on board for monitoring and diagnosis purposes; their availability is a main driver for the development of novel applications in the smart vehicle domain. In this paper, we propose a Docker-based container platform as a virtualization solution to implement customized smart car applications. Through a proof-of-concept prototype—developed on a Raspberry Pi3 board—we show that a container-based virtualization approach is not only viable but also effective and flexible to manage several parallel processes running on board. More specifically, the platform can take priority-based decisions by handling multiple inputs, e.g., data from the CANbus based on the OBD II codes, video from the on-board webcam, and so on. Results are promising for the development of in-vehicle virtualization techniques in future vehicles.