NeTSE: Large: NaNoNetworking: A New Frontier in Communications

纳米技术为生物医学、环境、工业、军事和其他领域的应用提供了新的解决方案。在纳米尺度上，纳米机器可以被认为是最基本的功能单元，它能够执行非常简单的任务。纳米网络，即，纳米机器的互连将通过为单个纳米机器提供合作和共享信息的方式来扩展它们的能力。传统的通信技术不能直接应用于纳米网络，需要进行深刻的修改，以满足这种新环境的要求。代替电磁波或声波，使用分子来编码和传输信息代表了一种新的通信范式，这需要新的解决方案，包括分子通信机制的表征，物理信道模型的定义或纳米机器的架构和网络协议的开发。智力优势：通过更大的NaNoNetworking（N3）项目的规划工作，主要研究人员（PI）将采取第一步来解决上述挑战，以实现这种新的通信模式。研究团队将进一步发展他们对未来纳米网络范式的愿景，并将确定具体的应用。PI还将吸收具有实验分子生物学和理论物理学所需领域专业知识的新研究人员参与该项目。更广泛的影响：设想的N3项目预计将为纳米网络的研究铺平道路，并可能对纳米技术和纳米网络的研究产生重大影响，因为N3项目将代表通信，计算机科学和生物学社区进入这一融合领域。通过这一规划工作，研究人员将朝着实现纳米网络迈出第一步，并进行初步研究，并就这一主题提出一项大型提案。

Nanotechnologies promise new solutions for applications in biomedical, environmental, industrial, military and other fields. At the nano-scale, a nano-machine can be considered as the most basic functional unit, which is able to perform very simple tasks. Nanonetworks, i.e., the interconnection of nano-machines, will expand the capabilities of single nano-machines by providing them a way to cooperate and share information. Traditional communication technologies are not directly applicable to nanonetworks and need to undergo a profound revision in order to meet the requirements of this new environment. Instead of electromagnetic or acoustic waves, the use of molecules to encode and transmit the information represents a new communication paradigm, which demands novel solutions, including the characterization of molecular communication mechanisms, the definition of physical channel models or the development of architectures and networking protocols for nano-machines. Intellectual Merit: With this planning effort for a larger NaNoNetworking (N3) project, the principal investigators (PIs) will undertake the first steps to address the above challenges toward the realization of this new communication paradigm. The research team will further develop their vision for a future nanonetwork paradigm and will determine concrete applications. The PIs will also incorporate new researchers with required areas expertise, of Experimental Molecular Biology and Theoretical Physics, into the project. Broader Impact: The envisioned N3 Project is expected to pave the way for research in nanonetworking and could have a significant impact on research in nanotechnologies and nanonetworks since the N3 Project would represent the entrance of the communications, computer science, and biology communities into this converging field. With this planning effort the researchers will take a first step toward the realization of the nanonetwork with initial research and the development of a large proposal on this topic.