Diffusive MIMO Molecular Communications: Channel Estimation, Equalization and Detection

In diffusion-based communication, as for molecular systems, the achievable data rate is low due to the stochastic nature of diffusion which exhibits a severe inter-symbol-interference (ISI). Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) multiplexing improves the data rate at the expense of an inter-link interference (ILI). This paper investigates training-based channel estimation schemes for diffusive MIMO (D-MIMO) systems and corresponding equalization methods. Maximum likelihood and least-squares estimators of mean channel are derived, and the training sequence is designed to minimize the mean square error (MSE). Numerical validations in terms of MSE are compared with Cramer-Rao bound derived herein. Equalization is based on decision feedback equalizer (DFE) structure as this is effective in mitigating diffusive ISI/ILI. Zero-forcing, minimum MSE and least-squares criteria have been paired to DFE, and their performances are evaluated in terms of bit error probability. Since D-MIMO systems are severely affected by the ILI because of short transmitters inter-distance, D-MIMO time interleaving is exploited as countermeasure to mitigate the ILI with remarkable performance improvements. The feasibility of a block-type communication including training and data equalization is explored for D-MIMO, and system-level performances are numerically derived.Comment: Accepted paper at IEEE transaction on Communicatio

A comprehensive survey of recent advancements in molecular communication

With much advancement in the field of nanotechnology, bioengineering and synthetic biology over the past decade, microscales and nanoscales devices are becoming a reality. Yet the problem of engineering a reliable communication system between tiny devices is still an open problem. At the same time, despite the prevalence of radio communication, there are still areas where traditional electromagnetic waves find it difficult or expensive to reach. Points of interest in industry, cities, and medical applications often lie in embedded and entrenched areas, accessible only by ventricles at scales too small for conventional radio waves and microwaves, or they are located in such a way that directional high frequency systems are ineffective. Inspired by nature, one solution to these problems is molecular communication (MC), where chemical signals are used to transfer information. Although biologists have studied MC for decades, it has only been researched for roughly 10 year from a communication engineering lens. Significant number of papers have been published to date, but owing to the need for interdisciplinary work, much of the results are preliminary. In this paper, the recent advancements in the field of MC engineering are highlighted. First, the biological, chemical, and physical processes used by an MC system are discussed. This includes different components of the MC transmitter and receiver, as well as the propagation and transport mechanisms. Then, a comprehensive survey of some of the recent works on MC through a communication engineering lens is provided. The paper ends with a technology readiness analysis of MC and future research directions

A comprehensive survey on hybrid communication in context of molecular communication and terahertz communication for body-centric nanonetworks

With the huge advancement of nanotechnology over the past years, the devices are shrinking into micro-scale, even nano-scale. Additionally, the Internet of nano-things (IoNTs) are generally regarded as the ultimate formation of the current sensor networks and the development of nanonetworks would be of great help to its fulfilment, which would be ubiquitous with numerous applications in all domains of life. However, the communication between the devices in such nanonetworks is still an open problem. Body-centric nanonetworks are believed to play an essential role in the practical application of IoNTs. BCNNs are also considered as domain specific like wireless sensor networks and always deployed on purpose to support a particular application. In these networks, electromagnetic and molecular communications are widely considered as two main promising paradigms and both follow their own development process. In this survey, the recent developments of these two paradigms are first illustrated in the aspects of applications, network structures, modulation techniques, coding techniques and security to then investigate the potential of hybrid communication paradigms. Meanwhile, the enabling technologies have been presented to apprehend the state-of-art with the discussion on the possibility of the hybrid technologies. Additionally, the inter-connectivity of electromagnetic and molecular body-centric nanonetworks is discussed. Afterwards, the related security issues of the proposed networks are discussed. Finally, the challenges and open research directions are presented

Signal generation and storage in FRET-based nanocommunications

The paper is concerned with Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) considered as a mechanism for communication between nanodevices. Two solved issues are reported in the paper, namely: signal generation and signal storage in FRET-based nanonetworks. First, luciferase molecules as FRET transmitters which are able to generate FRET signals themselves, taking energy from chemical reactions without any external light exposure, are proposed. Second, channelrhodopsins as FRET receivers, as they can convert FRET signals into voltage, are suggested. Further, medical in-body systems where both molecule types might be successfully applied, are discussed. Luciferase-channelrhodopsin communication is modeled and its performance is numerically validated, reporting on its throughput, bit error rate, propagation delay and energy consumption

Conception et évaluation de nouvelles méthodes pour améliorer les performances des réseaux de nano-communication

Abstract : The field of nanotechnology has undergone very rapid and fascinating development in recent years. This rapid and impressive advance has led to new applications of nanotechnology in the biomedical and military industries, making it a key area of research in multidisciplinary fields. However, the individual processing capacity of nanodevices is very limited, hence the need to design nanonetworks that allow the nanodevices to share information and to cooperate with each other. There are two solutions to establish a nanocommunication system: either by adapting the classical electromagnetic communication to the requirements of nano scale, or by using biological nanosystems inspired by nature such as the molecular communication proposed in the literature. In this thesis, we are interested in the second solution, which is exploiting the potential of biological nanosystems used by nature since billions of years to design biocompatible nanonetworks that can be used inside the human body for medical applications. Nevertheless, the use of this new paradigm is not without challenges. The very low achievable throughput and the Inter-Symbol Interference (ISI) are the most influential problems on the quality of molecular communication. The main objective of this thesis is to design and evaluate new methods inspired by nature in order to enhance the performance of nano-communication systems. To do this, the work is divided into three main parts. In the first part, we enhance the performance of molecular communication by proposing a new method that uses a photolysis-reaction instead of using enzyme to better attenuate ISI. We also propose an optimization of the receiver used in MIMO systems by judiciously choosing the parameters used in its design to reduce the influence of path loss on the quality of the system. The second part proposes a new wired nano-communication system based on self-assembled polymers that build an electrically conductive nanowire to connect the nanodevices to each other. The use of electrons as information carriers drastically increases the achievable throughput and reduces the delay. We study the dynamic process of self-assembly of the nanowire and we propose a bio-inspired receiver that detects the electrons sent through the conductive nanowire and converts them into a blue light. The third part applies the proposed wired nano-communication system to design an architecture ofWired Ad hoc NanoNETworks (WANNET) with a physical layer, Medium Acess Control (MAC) layer and application layer. We also calculate the maximum throughput and we evaluate the performance of the system.Le domaine des nanotechnologies a connu un développement très rapide et fascinant ces dernières années. Cette avancée rapide et impressionnante a conduit à de nouvelles applications dans les industries biomédicale et militaire, ce qui en fait un champ clé de recherche dans des domaines multidisciplinaires. Cependant, la capacité de traitement individuelle des nanodispositifs est très limitée, d'où la nécessité de concevoir des nanoréseaux qui permettent aux nanodispositifs de partager des informations et de coopérer entre eux. Il existe deux solutions pour mettre en place un système de nano-communication: soit en adaptant la communication électromagnétique classiques aux exigences de la nano échelle, soit en utilisant des nanosystèmes inspirés de la nature comme la communication moléculaire. Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à la deuxième solution, qui exploite le potentiel des nanosystèmes biologiques utilisés par la nature depuis des milliards d'années pour concevoir des nanoréseaux biocompatibles pouvant être utilisés à l'intérieur du corps humain pour des applications médicales. Néanmoins, l'utilisation de ce nouveau paradigme n'est pas sans défis. Le très faible débit réalisable et l'Interférence Entre Symboles (IES) sont les problèmes les plus influents sur la qualité de la communication moléculaire. L'objectif principal de cette thèse est de concevoir et d'évaluer de nouvelles méthodes inspirées de la nature afin d'améliorer les performances des systèmes de nano-communication. Pour ce faire, le travail est divisé en trois parties principales. Dans la première partie, nous améliorons les performances de la communication moléculaire en proposant une nouvelle méthode qui utilise une réaction de photolyse pour mieux atténuer l'IES. Nous proposons également une optimisation du receveur utilisé dans les systèmes MIMO en choisissant judicieusement les paramètres utilisés dans sa conception pour réduire l'influence de l'atténuation de trajet sur la qualité du système. La deuxième partie propose un nouveau système de nano-communication filaire basé sur des polymères auto-assemblés qui construisent un nanofil électriquement conducteur pour connecter les nanodispositifs les uns aux autres. L'utilisation d'électrons comme supports d'informations augmente considérablement le débit réalisable et réduit le délai. Nous étudions le processus dynamique d'auto-assemblage du nanofil et nous proposons un receveur bio-inspiré qui détecte les électrons envoyés et les convertit en une lumière bleue. La troisième partie applique le système de nano-communication filaire proposé pour concevoir une architecture d'un nanoréseau ad hoc filaire (Wired Ad hoc NanoNETworks) WANNET avec une couche physique, une couche de contrôle d'accès moyen (Medium Access Control) MAC et une couche d'application. Nous calculons également le débit maximum et nous évaluons les performances du système