Mobile Molecular Communication with Relay Assisted Network Coding: Framework and Analysis

In this paper, we consider an amplify-and-forward (AF) relay-assisted two-way molecular communication via diffusion (MCvD) system with drift and propose three transmission schemes, where each scheme varies in the number of relay nodes and time slots required for transmitting a symbol. We propose a novel hybrid modulation scheme based on concentration-time and concentration-relay for transmitting a single molecule type to reduce the receiver complexity. We evaluate the error performance of each scheme and derive the expressions for the symbol error probability (SEP), and study the effects of various system parameters on the SEP, which are useful in system implementation and design. Furthermore, we extend the analytical framework for the performance analysis of the proposed schemes based on various constraints for the case of half-duplex and full-duplex AF relays. The numerical results show that the trade-off between complexity due to the number of relays and time slots required for transmission must be considered while designing the MC system for a specific application.