Reading Articles with Our Noses: A Bio-Inspired Solution for Synthetic Molecular Communications

分子通信是一种以分子为信息载体的通信工程新范式。MC系统有望实现新的革命性应用，例如医学中的智能药物输送和工业环境中石油管道或化学反应器的监测。尽管在这一新兴领域取得了一些进展，但色散MC信道引起的干扰仍然是设计可靠和高数据速率MC系统的主要挑战。幸运的是，大自然已经发展出一种进化的解决方案来应对这一挑战，例如哺乳动物的嗅觉系统。其基本思路是：1)使用大量不同类型的信号分子，这样同一类型的分子就不会被频繁使用；2)一个简单的接收器结构，其中有少量的受体类型，能够识别多个同时释放的分子类型。例如，人类只用鼻子内表面的几百种感受器就能分辨出数千种化学物质。我们将这些系统称为小分子受体（Small number of Receptors for Large number of Molecule types）系统。在本项目中，我们建议使用SRLM概念作为合成MC系统设计的基础，以促进有效的干扰缓解和高数据速率。这是世界上第一个研究生物启发SRLM系统用于合成mc的项目。具体而言，本课题包括相应的通信理论信道建模、发射接收机设计、SRLM系统性能分析与仿真。与最先进的解决方案相比，拟议的仿生SRLM系统预计将更可靠，实现更高的数据速率，因此将进一步推动合成mc的新兴领域。

Molecular communication (MC) is a new paradigm in communication engineering where molecules are employed as information carriers. MC systems are expected to enable new revolutionary applications such as smart drug delivery in medicine and monitoring of oil pipelines or chemical reactors in industrial settings. Despite the recent advancements in this emerging field, the interference caused by the dispersive MC channel still remains a major challenge for the design of reliable and high data-rate MC systems. Fortunately, nature has developed an evolutionary solution to this challenge which is applied by e.g. mammalian olfactory systems. The basic idea is to employ 1) a large number of different types of signaling molecules such that the same type of molecule is not frequently used and 2) a simple receiver architecture with a small number of receptor types that is able to recognize multiple simultaneously released molecule types. For example, humans are able to discriminate many thousands of chemicals by using only a few hundred types of receptors on their inner nose surface. We refer to these systems as Small number of Receptors for a Large number of Molecule types (SRLM) systems. In this project, we propose to use the SRLM concept as the basis for the design of synthetic MC systems to facilitate efficient interference mitigation and high data rates. This is the first project worldwide that investigates the use of bio-inspired SRLM systems for synthetic MCs. In particular, this project comprises the corresponding communication theoretical channel modeling, transmitter and receiver design, and system performance analysis and simulation of SRLM systems. The proposed bio-inspired SRLM systems are expected to be more reliable and to achieve higher data rates compared to state-of-the-art solutions and hence will further advance the emerging field of synthetic MCs.