Scientists studying frogs to develop new algorithm for wireless networks

The Japanese tree frog is a frog species that thrives in Japan, Korea, and in the northeastern part of China. Unknown to many, the male Japanese tree frog has actually developed the capability to vary its calls so that females can identify the frog from the rest. Male Japanese tree frogs can reportedly desynchronize their calls to avoid confusing their targeted female partners. You can read the rest of the research here.

Now, the scientists over at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia are using the Japanese tree frogs’ unusual calling behavior to develop an algorithm that can assign colors to network nodes on wireless networks. In a move to solve what is known as graph coloring, a problem of assigning colors to nodes in a graph, the scientists are using the desynchronization behavior of the frogs to create a process that can assign different colors to network nodes.

“Since there is no system of central control organizing this desynchronization, the mechanism may be considered as an example of natural self-organization,” explains Christian Blum. “This type of graph colouring is the formalisation of a problem that arises in many areas of the real world, such as the optimisation of modern wireless networks with no predetermined structure using techniques for reducing losses in information packages and energy efficiency improvement.”

Gene Ryan Briones
Categories: General
Tags: wireless