IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine - April 2017 - 40

who want to continue reading on the subject. There is also a Nano-Scale, Molecular and Quantum Networking Emerging
Technical Subcommittee (http://www.
comsoc.org/committees/emergingtechnical- subcommittee/nano-scalemolecular-quantum-networking) for those

who wish to become more involved. An
IEEE standards tutorial on the subject was
given November 2016 (http://www.comsoc.org/training/training- calendar/
nanoscale-communication-networks), and
other tutorials are likely to be given in
the future.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge all
members of the IEEE P1906.1 Standards
Working Group who contributed so much
to make this a successful standard. To participate in future work on the standard, you
can follow the instructions here: https://
mentor.ieee.org/1906.1/bp/StartPage.

Defining Communication at the Bottom
By Stephen F. Bush

bstract Nanoscale communication is expected to offer unprecedented benefits. However,
lack of a precise definition
and general framework for nanoscale
communication has resulted in limited
impact and dissipated effort. The IEEE
P1906.1/Draft 1.0 Recommended Practice for Nanoscale and Molecular
Communication Framework provides
the precise, common definition of
nanoscale communication and a standard, general framework. The definition of nanoscale communication must
carefully depict the field so that it captures the unique aspects of small-scale
physics with respect to communication. Both the definition and framework must be broad enough to cover
the scope of cross-disciplinary technologies that may be utilized while
simultaneously be precise enough to
allow for interoperable and reusable
components. The implication for the
field is significant. The IEEE P1906.1/
Draft 1.0 Recommended Practice for
Nanoscale and Molecular Communication Framework will enable diverse
disciplines to have a common language
and reference for making lasting contributions. A lasting impact will be
possible because others can now build
This article can be accessed from http://
ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7181713/.

40 IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine

april 2017

upon these results through rational
design and synthesis.

I. INTRODUCTION: THE NEED
FOR A COMMON FRAMEWORK
Nanoscale communication networks
have been discussed actively since the
turn of the millennium as a compelling
area of exploration in communication.
However, progress over the last decade
has had little impact. This is due, in
part, to the lack of a coherent effort to
define the field and allow researchers to
build upon one another's work. Hardware instantiations similar to [5] are
needed, particularly if they help to validate simulations developing as part of
the standard reference model, discussed
in Section VI. New technologies
require industry support and acceptance
to develop and survive; the same is true
for nanoscale communication.
Realistic "killer applications" must be
envisioned. These are applications so
necessary or desirable that they prove the
core value of nanoscale communication.
Ensuring that all issues are addressed
begins with reaching consensus as to the
precise definition of nanoscale communication and then developing a common
conceptual framework; that is the accomplishment of the IEEE P1906.1/Draft 1.0
Recommended Practice for Nanoscale
and Molecular Communication Framework. This paper reviews the contributions to the draft standard and provides

insight into the decisions that went into
developing it. The standard document
takes precedence over information in this
paper and should be referred to for further detail.

II. MOTIVATION AND
SCOPE: WORKING TOGETHER
One of the motivations for the standard is
that few academic articles claiming to
contribute to nanoscale communication
attempt to precisely define it. The lack of
a well-defined problem prevents a coherent development process. Results become
scattered such that progress and results
remain dispersed. In effect, each researcher is chasing a different and often
unrelated goal. The lack of a common
framework and definition prevents directed follow-up by different groups. Reaching a common definition for nanoscale
communication has been difficult in part
due to the need to bring researchers from
diverse fields, ranging from information
theorists and physicists to biologists, together in discussion to develop and embrace a common understanding of the
topic, thereby avoiding miscommunication of ideas. Sometimes researchers are
separated by the same terminology.
"Communication" may mean one thing
to a biologist (molecular entities in direct
contact with one another) and something
different to an information theorist (transmission of information measured via information entropy). Diverse fields may

http://www.com http://www http://www.soc.org/training/training http://www.comsoc.org/committees/emerging http://https:// http://mentor.ieee.org/1906.1/bp/StartPage http://http:// http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7181713/

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine - April 2017