An Experimentally Validated Channel Model for Molecular Communication Systems

In this paper, we present an experimentally validated end-to-end channel model for molecular communication systems with metal-oxide sensors. In particular, we focus on the recently developed tabletop molecular communication platform. Unlike previous work, this paper separates the system into two parts-the propagation and the sensing. Based on this separation, a more realistic channel model is derived. The coefficients in the derived models are estimated using a large collection of experimental data. It is shown how the coefficients change as a function of different system parameters such as distance, spraying duration, and an initial condition. Finally, a noise model is derived for the system to complete an end-to-end system model for the tabletop platform that can be utilized with various system variables. Using this new channel model, we propose a multi-level modulation technique that represents different symbols with different spraying durations while still providing more feasibility and less computational complexity in practice.