Bio-inspired networking: from theory to practice

Bio-inspired networking techniques have been investigated since more than a decade. Findings in this field have fostered new developments in networking, especially in the most challenging domains such as handling large-scale networks, their dynamic nature, resource constraints, heterogeneity, unattended operation, and robustness. Even though this new research area started with highly theoretical concepts, it can be seen that there is also practical impact. This article aims to give an overview to the general field of bioinspired networking, introducing the key concepts and methodologies. Selected examples that outline the capabilities and the practical relevance are discussed in more detail. The presented examples outline the activities of a new community working on bio-inspired networking solutions, which is converging and becomes visible in term of the provided astonishingly efficient solutions.