What does 'Edge' mean to you?

[MarjorieFreeman]

At this point, I think everyone knows what Edge means, but few know of actual edge use cases. 

How would you describe Edge technology in layman's terms? 

For instance, Chick Fil A deploys Kubernetes at the Edge to run its internet-independent applications. Many people have had Chick Fil A or at least been through a drive-thru or two in their day!  

What are some everyday use cases of it that people may not think about? 

[RolloTomassi]

Edge computing is an architecture to distribute compute resources to where they are most needed. For example, computation and data storage are moved closer to the data sources. The idea is that latency is decreased, and traffic is reduced. Thus, an organization can create a pool of computer resources and efficiently make those resources available to multiple locations. In effect, it is a counter to the information technology centralization that occurred with the rise of the Internet.

[dnaspliceoflife]

Being a bit of an infrastructure fan (yes, I have this coffee table book and have read it cover to cover), A use case I can see is the ability to control things like Dam  or waste treatment control valves or maybe traffic lights using local compute while sending data back to a central data center for longer-term analysis. It's equipment that CAN be controlled remotely but can also run autonomously if disconnected.