Algorithms in nature: the convergence of systems biology and computational thinking

Biologists rely on computational methods to analyze and integrate large data sets, while several computational methods were inspired by the high-level design principles of biological systems. This Perspectives discusses the recent convergence of these two ways of thinking

Energy efficiency performance improvements for ant-based routing algorithm in wireless sensor networks

The main problem for event gathering in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is the restricted communication range for each node. Due to the restricted communication range and high network density, event forwarding in WSNs is very challenging and requires multihop data forwarding. Currently, the energy-efficient ant based routing (EEABR) algorithm, based on the ant colony optimization (ACO) metaheuristic, is one of the state-of-the-art energy-aware routing protocols. In this paper, we propose three improvements to the EEABR algorithm to further improve its energy efficiency. The improvements to the original EEABR are based on the following: (1) a new scheme to intelligently initialize the routing tables giving priority to neighboring nodes that simultaneously could be the destination, (2) intelligent update of routing tables in case of a node or link failure, and (3) reducing the flooding ability of ants for congestion control. The energy efficiency improvements are significant particularly for dynamic routing environments. Experimental results using the RMASE simulation environment show that the proposed method increases the energy efficiency by up to 9% and 64% in converge-cast and target-tracking scenarios, respectively, over the original EEABR without incurring a significant increase in complexity. The method is also compared and found to also outperform other swarm-based routing protocols such as sensor-driven and cost-aware ant routing (SC) and Beesensor

A Review on Swarm Intelligence Based Routing Approaches

The principles of bio-inspired or swarm intelligence algorithms can be effectively used to achieve optimal solutions in routing for complex and dynamic wireless sensor networks or body area networks. As the name indicates, it is a field that is inspired by natural living beings like ants, bees, fishes, etc. Studies have proved that the routing protocols based on such bio-inspired methods perform better in terms of energy efficiency, reliability, adaptivity, scalability, and robustness. The general classification of routing protocols is classical-based and swarm-based routing protocols, where both the protocols were specifically categorized as data-centric, location-aware, hierarchical and network flow, and QoS aware protocols. In this paper, an evocative taxonomy and comparison of various swarm-based routing algorithms are presented. A brief discussion about the sensor network design and the major factors that influence the routing is also discussed. The comparative analysis of the selected swarm-based protocols is also done with respect to routing characteristics like query based, route selection, energy efficiency, and path selection. From the review, it is observed that the selection of a routing protocol is application dependent. This paper will be helpful to the researchers as a reference on bio-inspired algorithms for new protocol designs and also for the proper selection of routing protocols according to the type of applications

The Vital Network: An Algorithmic Milieu of Communication and Control

The biological turn in computing has influenced the development of algorithmic control and what I call the vital network: a dynamic, relational, and generative assemblage that is self-organizing in response to the heterogeneity of contemporary network processes, connections, and communication. I discuss this biological turn in computation and control for communication alongside historically significant developments in cybernetics that set out the foundation for the development of self-regulating computer systems. Control is shifting away from models that historically relied on the human-animal model of cognition to govern communication and control, as in early cybernetics and computer science, to a decentred, nonhuman model of control by algorithm for communication and networks. To illustrate the rise of contemporary algorithmic control, I outline a particular example, that of the biologically-inspired routing algorithm known as a ‘quorum sensing’ algorithm. The increasing expansion of algorithms as a sense-making apparatus is important in the context of social media, but also in the subsystems that coordinate networked flows of information. In that domain, algorithms are not inferring categories of identity, sociality, and practice associated with Internet consumers, rather, these algorithms are designed to act on information flows as they are transmitted along the network. The development of autonomous control realized through the power of the algorithm to monitor, sort, organize, determine, and transmit communication is the form of control emerging as a postscript to Gilles Deleuze’s ‘postscript on societies of control.

Energy Efficiency Performance Improvements for Ant-Based Routing Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Networks

The main problem for event gathering in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is the restricted communication range for each node. Due to the restricted communication range and high network density, event forwarding in WSNs is very challenging and requires multihop data forwarding. Currently, the energy-efficient ant based routing (EEABR) algorithm, based on the ant colony optimization (ACO) metaheuristic, is one of the state-of-the-art energy-aware routing protocols. In this paper, we propose three improvements to the EEABR algorithm to further improve its energy efficiency. The improvements to the original EEABR are based on the following: (1) a new scheme to intelligently initialize the routing tables giving priority to neighboring nodes that simultaneously could be the destination, (2) intelligent update of routing tables in case of a node or link failure, and (3) reducing the flooding ability of ants for congestion control. The energy efficiency improvements are significant particularly for dynamic routing environments. Experimental results using the RMASE simulation environment show that the proposed method increases the energy efficiency by up to 9% and 64% in converge-cast and target-tracking scenarios, respectively, over the original EEABR without incurring a significant increase in complexity. The method is also compared and found to also outperform other swarm-based routing protocols such as sensor-driven and cost-aware ant routing (SC) and Beesensor