Theory and practice of molecular communication

分子通讯理论与实践

• 批准号: RGPIN-2016-05288
• 负责人: Eckford, Andrew
• 金额: $ 2.62万
• 依托单位: York University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=615604
• 关键词: Theory; practice; molecular; communication

This proposal concerns molecular communication. Molecular communication is a rapidly emerging technique with numerous applications, including nanoscale networking and communication in harsh environments. Using molecular communication, the transmitter encodes messages by releasing patterns of molecules, and conveys those messages to the receiver using physical principles such as Brownian motion. For example, a bit could be sent by releasing one or more molecules of a detectable compound such as ethanol (representing 1), or releasing nothing (representing 0), as a form of on-off keying. The compound could propagate from transmitter to receiver using free diffusion, and an ethanol detector at the receiver would measure when the molecules arrive. Noise in this example takes the form of either the random propagation process of the molecules, or noise in the detector. Many other modulation techniques have been proposed and studied in the molecular communication literature. In this project we answer the following research questions: 1. What are appropriate information-theoretic models for molecular communication systems, and what are the associated information-theoretic capacities? 2. Can we obtain an information-theoretic understanding of nanobiological systems? 3. Can we miniaturize low-cost "macroscale" molecular communication testbeds, bringing them closer to the size needed for nanobiological applications? 4. Can we illustrate the practical value of molecular communication by constructing demonstration systems? The first two questions are theoretical in nature, and will extend our knowledge of the ultimate limits of molecular communication. Answers to these questions will help us to understand what kind of applications are possible with molecular communications, and what kind are infeasible. Moreover, understanding nanobiological systems from an information-theoretic perspective may give us greater understanding of natural nanobiological systems, such as microbes. The last two questions are practical in nature, and will help us bring our theoretical knowledge of molecular communication to realization in practice. Answers to these questions will bring us closer to the futuristic possibilities of nanomedicine, and will open up new application areas (such as infrastructure monitoring) that are difficult to solve with conventional radio communication.

这个建议涉及分子通讯。分子通信是一种迅速兴起的技术，具有许多应用，包括纳米网络和恶劣环境中的通信。使用分子通信，发射器通过释放分子模式来编码信息，并使用布朗运动等物理原理将这些信息传递给接收器。例如，可以通过释放一个或多个可检测化合物的分子（例如乙醇（表示1））或不释放任何物质（表示0）来发送比特，作为开关键控的形式。这种化合物可以通过自由扩散从发射器传播到接收器，接收器上的乙醇检测器将测量分子何时到达。本例中的噪声采用分子随机传播过程或检测器中噪声的形式。在分子通信文献中已经提出和研究了许多其他调制技术。 在这个项目中，我们回答了以下研究问题： 1.什么是适当的信息理论模型的分子通讯系统，以及什么是相关的信息理论的能力？ 2.我们能从信息论的角度理解纳米生物系统吗？ 3.我们能否将低成本的“宏观尺度”分子通讯测试平台简化，使其更接近纳米生物学应用所需的尺寸？ 4.我们能否通过构建演示系统来说明分子通讯的实用价值？ 前两个问题本质上是理论性的，并将扩展我们对分子通讯极限的认识。这些问题的答案将帮助我们了解分子通信的哪些应用是可能的，哪些是不可行的。此外，从信息论的角度理解纳米生物系统可能会让我们更好地理解自然纳米生物系统，如微生物。 最后两个问题是实际的，并将帮助我们把我们的分子通讯的理论知识在实践中实现。这些问题的答案将使我们更接近纳米医学的未来可能性，并将开辟传统无线电通信难以解决的新应用领域（如基础设施监测）。