Participate in Standards Activity for Nanoscale Communications Networks

OK, but why should I participate?

Personally, standards activities are rewarding for researchers because it is a unique opportunity for researchers/experts from a diverse set of fields in both industry and academia to interact and enlighten one another in an open, orderly manner. It avoids the stuffiness and arrogance that can be deterrents at conferences; it provides a more balanced table for discussions than conferences, which are often primarily attended only by academia. The standards process requires following an open, balanced procedure in which all participants have an equal opportunity to be heard; we follow an open, fair standards process under the auspices of the IEEE Communication Society Standardization Development Board. For further information, the following link provides a brief video related to nanoscale networks, innovation, and standardization.

I’m interested, but how do I join in, and what would be expected from me?

For those who have not been involved in standards activity, participation is relatively easy. Click on the “To Join or Contribute” link following the paragraph below and follow the instructions. Make sure to notify bushsf@research.ge.com, or any other committee officer, that you have joined to be added to the email list and to the working group wiki. Meetings are currently held at 9AM EST on the first Monday of every month via teleconference; instructions will be sent to new members upon joining the email list. Notify bushsf@research.ge.com that you would like to be added to the agenda if you would like to present ideas to be incorporated into the standard. Otherwise, simply participate in the meetings. Do not be afraid to speak up! Time during conference calls is limited generally to one hour so participants are asked to be sure to do their homework first and review the wiki as a minimum for productive discussions.

To Join or Contribute: Click here!

So, tell me more about the project!

The P1906.1 goals are in summary to define nanoscale communication networks in a manner that captures the economic importance of these communication networks, is useful to industry-academic partnerships, is broad enough to include complexities arising in the medical or other industries, and is a framework upon which to build that will stimulate vision for a family of technologies in nanonetworking and multi-scale integration. The standards developed by this committee will also be harmonized with IEC/ISO core nanotechnology definitions—mostly those related to computer chip interconnects—to provide stability and continuity needed for industrial applications.

P1906.1—Recommended Practice for Nanoscale and Molecular Communication Framework.

This recommended practice contains a conceptual model and a standard terminology for ad hoc network communication at the nanoscale. This recommended practice also contains: (1) a definition of nanoscale networking (2) a conceptual model for ad hoc nanoscale networking (3) common terminology for nanoscale networking, including: (a) a definition of a nanoscale channel highlighting the fundamental differences from a macroscale channel (b) abstract nanoscale channel interfaces with nanoscale systems (c) performance metrics common to ad hoc nanoscale communication networks (d) a mapping between nanoscale and traditional communication networks, including necessary high level components such as a map of major components: coding and packets, addressing, routing, localization, layering, reliability.

Working Group: NanoCom — Nanoscale and Molecular Communications
Sponsor: COM/SDB — Standards Development Board
Society: COM — IEEE Communications Society

Summary: P1906.1 Accomplishments relevant to Life Sciences

Membership in P1906.1 includes industry and academia (Faculty, post doctoral students, graduate students) with backgrounds in mathematical modeling, engineering, physics, economics and biological sciences. A current working definition and current and new terminologies are being developed. This includes nanoscale and molecular area networking (MoIAN), nanopackets (NP), small-scale addressing (SSA), gradient routing (GR), etc. A nanoscale communication network is being defined in three physical components, that encompass what is nanoscale?, what are the components of the signal and its transmission?, and how does communication occur? We currently exclude electronic components such as transistors, or electrical/electromagnetic message carriers whose operation is similar at the macroscale and nanoscale. Additionally, to avoid standardizing nature or physical processes, a human-made synthetic component must form part of the system. Perhaps most challenging is defining communication, particularly in the area of cell-surface interactions as viewed by biologists versus non-biologists. The interface is viewed as a communication channel, whereas the ‘receptors-signaling-gene expression’ events are the network. Communication requires that humans be able to provide input and then interpret the response to deduce a ‘message’. Thus the message is the information to be conveyed that is known to the transmitting party and unknown to the receiving party; a human-designed transmitter conveys the message; a human-designed receiver collects messages; a medium that is the interface and message carriers are present. One of these components must be nanoscale, which is broadly less than a micrometer, but is being considered by this committee and several other groups to be less than 100 nm, a more restrictive limit.

The P1906.1 consensus has been to adopt Shannon’s rules for defining communication with and among nanoscale devices. That is: Tx, Rx, Channel, Encoding, Information Content, Message Variability, and Noise Effects. In this regard, for Shannon, an electron and a proton in a H atom are not in a dialog; a chemical diffusing through a membrane is not carrying information, transfer of matter and energy is not a network scale process, a physical link that transmits a long, regular and undisturbed sequence of 0 and 1 is not a communication link. Thus an ad-hoc nanoscale communication network must be a purpose specific network, and in our definition is constrained to have a human made synthetic component. Natural networks in nature are not ad-hoc networks. Instead we focus on information transfer processes within a COMSOC sponsored Standards Effort. That is, we let IEEE — EDS, APS, AAAS, ASM or ACS deal with the physics-chemistry of the nano processes and related definitions. Nanocommunication network examples that incorporate biological components might include: inserting a transmitter on a cell; or a nanoengineered DNA/RNA circuit inside; biological components in a human made device that transfer and respond to information; some bio-NEMS. It is helpful to also look at examples that are not considered nano-communication networks. These include: a modern A/D converter that has 1000’s of transistors interconnected; a light blinking steadily; a self-organizing system executing a pre-programmed pattern is not ‘communicating’; strictly biological processes (natural or modified by man) that do not incorporate human-made communication networks; cells on a manmade surface that are induced to change in morphology if there is not a feedback to the readout to indicate communication. Thus the system must be active (vs passive) and must have a real-time responsive component (feedback loops, bidirectionality of the response). In this regard, control is needed and measurements alone are not sufficient.