The

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operat ...

P1906.1 - Recommended Practice for Nanoscale and Molecular Communication Framework is a standards working group sponsored by the

IEEE Communications Society The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

Standards Development Board whose goal is to develop a common framework for

nanoscale The nanoscopic scale (or nanoscale) usually refers to structures with a length scale applicable to nanotechnology, usually cited as 1–100 nanometers (nm). A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. The nanoscopic scale is (roughly speaking) a lo ...

and

molecular communication Molecular communications systems use the presence or absence of a selected type of molecule to digitally encode messages. The molecules are delivered into communications media such as air and water for transmission. The technique also is not subje ...

. Because this is an

emerging technology Emerging technologies are technologies whose development, practical applications, or both are still largely unrealized. These technologies are generally new but also include older technologies finding new applications. Emerging technologies ar ...

, the standard is designed to encourage innovation by reaching consensus on a common definition, terminology, framework, goals, metrics, and use-cases that encourage innovation and enable the technology to advance at a faster rate. The draft passed an initial sponsor balloting with comments on January 2, 2015. The comments were addressed by the working group and the resulting draft ballot passed again on August 17, 2015. Finally, additional material regarding

SBML The Systems Biology Markup Language (SBML) is a representation format, based on XML, for communicating and storing computational models of biological processes. It is a free and open standard with widespread software support and a community of use ...

was contributed and the final draft passed again on October 15, 2015. The draft standard was approved by IEEE RevCom in the final quarter of 2015.

Membership

Working group A working group, or working party, is a group of experts working together to achieve specified goals. The groups are domain-specific and focus on discussion or activity around a specific subject area. The term can sometimes refer to an interdis ...

membership includes experts in industry and academia with strong backgrounds in

mathematical modeling A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used in the natural sciences (such as physics, b ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

and

biological sciences Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...

Content

Electronic components such as

transistors upright=1.4, gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (pink). A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch ...

, or

electrical Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described ...

electromagnetic In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions o ...

message carriers whose operation is similar at the macroscale and

are excluded from the definition. A human-engineered, synthetic component must form part of the system because it is important to avoid standardizing nature or physical processes. The definition of

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

, particularly in the area of cell-surface interactions as viewed by

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

s versus non-biologists has been a topic of debate. The interface is viewed as a

communication channel A communication channel refers either to a physical transmission medium such as a wire, or to a logical connection over a multiplexed medium such as a radio channel in telecommunications and computer networking. A channel is used for informa ...

, whereas the ' receptor-signaling- gene expression' events are the network. The draft currently comprises: definition, terminology, framework, metrics, use-cases, and reference code (

ns-3 ns (from network simulator) is a name for a series of discrete event network simulators, specifically ns-1, ns-2, and ns-3. All are discrete-event computer network simulators, primarily used in research and teaching. History ns-1 The fi ...

). The standard provides a very broad foundation and encompasses all approaches to nanoscale communication. While there have been many superficial academic attempts to classify nanoscale communication approaches, the standard considers two fundamental approaches: waves and particles. This includes any hybrid of the two as well as

quasiparticle In physics, quasiparticles and collective excitations are closely related emergent phenomena arising when a microscopically complicated system such as a solid behaves as if it contained different weakly interacting particles in vacuum. For exa ...

s. A unique contribution of the standard is an

reference model that enables users to build upon the standard components.

Definition

* A precise definition of nanoscale networking **

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

and

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

researchers have been playing with the concept of nanoscale communication networks, but without a common, well-defined, and precise definition. The IEEE P1906.1 working group has adopted the definitive specification for a nanoscale communication network. The draft standard sets the context of communication within

length scale In physics, length scale is a particular length or distance determined with the precision of at most a few orders of magnitude. The concept of length scale is particularly important because physical phenomena of different length scales cannot af ...

s by defining communication length scales ranging from the Planck length scale to relativistic length scales. A focus is upon the progression of physical changes that impact communication as

is reduced.

Terminology

* Common terminology for nanoscale networking ** Nanoscale communication networking is a highly interdisciplinary endeavor. A clear, common language is required so that interdisciplinary researchers can work smoothly together and minimize cross-discipline misunderstanding due to the common definitions that are defined differently in different fields. The P1906.1 working group has reached consensus on common definitions unique to nanoscale communication networks.

Framework

* A framework for ad hoc nanoscale networking ** There is a pressing need for a conceptual model of nanoscale networks. A standardized platform for nanoscale communication

network simulation In computer network research, network simulation is a technique whereby a software program replicates the behavior of a real network. This is achieved by calculating the interactions between the different network entities such as routers, switche ...

is needed. Researchers are developing simulation models and packages for components related to nanoscale communication networks; however the simulation components are not interoperable, even at a conceptual level. The IEEE P1906.1 working group has adopted a nanoscale communication framework that addresses this need. The result of the framework is known as the ''standard model.''

Metrics

* Metrics and analytical model are in development ** The working group is currently in the process of developing

metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathem ...

s to uniquely characterize nanoscale communication networks. Twenty metrics have been defined: *** Message Deliverability *** Message Lifetime *** Information Density ***

Bandwidth-Delay Product In data communications, the bandwidth-delay product is the product of a data link's capacity (in bits per second) and its round-trip delay time (in seconds). The result, an amount of data measured in bits (or bytes), is equivalent to the maxim ...

*** Information and Communication Energy *** Collision Behavior *** Mass Displacement *** Positioning Accuracy of Message Carriers ***

Persistence Length The persistence length is a basic mechanical property quantifying the bending stiffness of a polymer. The molecule behaves like a flexible elastic rod/beam (beam theory). Informally, for pieces of the polymer that are shorter than the persistence l ...

*** Diffusive Flux *** Langevin Noise *** Specificity ***

Affinity Affinity may refer to: Commerce, finance and law * Affinity (law), kinship by marriage * Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique * Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union * Affinity Equity Par ...

*** Sensitivity *** Angular (Angle-of-Arrival) Spectrum *** Delay (Time-of-Arrival) Spectrum *** Active Network Programmability *** Perturbation Rate *** Supersystem Degradation *** Bandwidth-Volume Ratio

Use-Cases

* Specific example applications of the standard ** Specific use-cases of nanoscale communication implemented using the P1906.1 definition and framework are provided. A standard mapping between a use-case, or implementation, and the standard model of the framework allows a brief summary of the information required about a use-case to understand its relevance to a nanoscale communication network.

Reference model

* Reference code to model the recommended practice is in development **

Ns-3 ns (from network simulator) is a name for a series of discrete event network simulators, specifically ns-1, ns-2, and ns-3. All are discrete-event computer network simulators, primarily used in research and teaching. History ns-1 The fi ...

reference code is currently in development that implements the developing IEEE P1906.1 recommended practice. The communication framework conceived by the P1906.1 working group has been implemented. A simple example highlighting the interaction and the role of each component in

-based,

diffusion Diffusion is the net movement of anything (for example, atoms, ions, molecules, energy) generally from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration. Diffusion is driven by a gradient in Gibbs free energy or chemica ...

-based, and

molecular motor Molecular motors are natural (biological) or artificial molecular machines that are the essential agents of movement in living organisms. In general terms, a motor is a device that consumes energy in one form and converts it into motion or mech ...

-based communication at the

has been developed.

Applications

Applications are numerous, however, there appears to be strong emphasis on medical and biological use-cases in

nanomedicine Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. Nanomedicine ranges from the medical applications of nanomaterials and biological devices, to nanoelectronic biosensors, and even possible future applications of molecular nanotech ...

Simulation software

The IEEE P1906.1 working group is developing

nanoscale simulation software that implements the IEEE 1906.1 standard and serves as a reference model and base for development of a wide-variety of interoperable small-scale communication physical layer models.

Literature review

The Best Readings on nanoscale communication networks provides good background information related to the standard. The Topics section breaks down the information using the standard approach.

Building on IEEE 1906.1

IEEE 1906.1 is the foundation for nanoscale communication. Additional standards are expected to build upon it. IEEE 1906.1.1 Standard Data Model for Nanoscale Communication Systems The Standard Data Model for Nanoscale Communication Systems defines a

network management Network management is the process of administering and managing computer networks. Services provided by this discipline include fault analysis, performance management, provisioning of networks and maintaining quality of service. Network managem ...

and configuration

data model A data model is an abstract model that organizes elements of data and standardizes how they relate to one another and to the properties of real-world entities. For instance, a data model may specify that the data element representing a car be c ...

for nanoscale communication.IEEE 1906.1.1 - Standard Data Model for Nanoscale Communication Systems
/ref> This data model has several goals: * Ensure compliance with IEEE 1906.1-2015 * Describe the essence of nanoscale communication * Capture fundamental physics of IEEE 1906.1-2015 * Define configuration and management of simulation and experimental systems * Provide a self-describing data structure for experimental data. The data model is written in

YANG Yang may refer to: * Yang, in yin and yang, one half of the two symbolic polarities in Chinese philosophy * Korean yang, former unit of currency of Korea from 1892 to 1902 * YANG, a data modeling language for the NETCONF network configuration ...

and will enable remote configuration and operation of nanoscale communication over the Internet using

NETCONF The Network Configuration Protocol (NETCONF) is a network management protocol developed and standardized by the IETF. It was developed in the NETCONF working group and published in December 2006 as RFC 4741 and later revised in June 2011 and pub ...

Notes

References

IEEE P1906.1 - Recommended Practice for Nanoscale and Molecular Communication Framework Project Application Request (PAR)

External links

{{IEEE standards Nanotechnology Computer networking IEEE standards Telecommunications engineering