MOLECULAR COMMUNICATION: Interconnecting Tiny NanoBio Devices

Abstract

Recent advances in the fi elds of bioengineering and nanotechnology have resulted in the emergence of tiny devices of sub-millimeter and even micron or less dimensions that can perform sensing and actuation. In many cases, the main challenge in moving these devices out of the laboratory and into the real world is not production cost, as they can be produced cost-eff ectively in large volumes, but rather a communication problem. For many applications, these tiny devices need to communicate and collaborate in swarms, or they need to transmit their measurements to other devices. Inspired by nature, chemical signaling (also known as molecular communication) is an eff ective solution to this problem. Th is article explores some of the recent advancements and challenges in engineering molecular communication systems.