Communication, Migration and Energy in Bio-nanomachine Functionality Differentiation.

In this paper, we propose a model of how bio-nanomachines differentiate their functionality in molecular communication. In the proposed model, bio-nanomachines perform a set of basic functions such as releasing signal molecules into the environment, detecting the concentration of signal molecules in the environment, and migrating toward the higher concentration of signal molecules, while they acquire energy from the environment and consume energy to perform such functions. The net amount of energy (total energy acquired minus total energy consumed) of a bio-nanomachine reflects what functions it performed and how actively it performed such functions and indicates how it will differentiate itself from other bio-nanomachines in performing functions. Simulation results show that bio-nanomachines starting with the same amount of net energy come to have different amounts of net energy and, as a result, differentiate and form a complex spatial distribution of bio-nanomachines. The proposed model helps understand how bio-nanomachines differentiate and acquire complex functionalities in molecular communication.