Quorum Sensing-enabled amplification for molecular nanonetworks

Nanotechnology is enabling the development of devices in a scale ranging from a few to hundreds of nanometers. The nanonetworks that result from interconnecting these devices greatly expand the possible applications, by increasing the complexity and range of operation of the system. Molecular communication is regarded as a promising way to realize this interconnection in a bio-compatible and energy efficient manner, enabling its use in biomedical applications. However, the transmission range of molecular signals is strongly limited due to the large and inherent losses of the diffusion process. In this paper, we propose the employment of Quorum Sensing so as to achieve cooperative amplification of a given signal. By means of Quorum Sensing, we aim to synchronize the course of action of a certain number of emitters, which will transmit the same signal. Under the assumption of a linear channel, such signal will be amplified and thus the transmission range will be consequently extended. Finally, we validate our proposal through simulation.