The Taub Faculty of Computer Science Events and Talks

In recent years, extensive research has been dedicated to the development of nano- and micro-machines. While the majority of practical research is focused on chemistry and biology, there is also research aimed at communication aspects. This is crucial because nano-machines are limited in their capabilities and require communication and networking to tackle complex tasks. By collaborating, these machines can revolutionize medicine by serving as intelligent drug delivery systems, advanced sensors, and more. The primary challenge in nano-machine communication lies in their inability to utilize electromagnetic waves for communication. Hence, an alternative communication method must be employed. When operating in living organisms (in-vivo), one potential approach is to leverage the nervous system, which serves as nature’s communication medium. In this presentation, we introduce a novel communication channel called the absorption channel, inspired by information transmission through neurons. Our motivation stems from the potential applications of in-vivo nano- and micro-machines, advancements in medical technology, and brain-machine interfaces that communicate via the nervous system. We will commence by providing a motivation for the proposed channel. Subsequently, we will present codes capable of correcting absorption errors for any given finite alphabet. We will explore various scenarios, including single absorption error correction over binary alphabets, as well as correction codes for general alphabets. If time permits, we will also delve into multiple absorption error-correcting codes over general alphabets. Bio: Ohad Elishco received his B.Sc., M.Sc, and Ph.D degrees in electrical engineering from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Between 2017-2018 he was a postdoc at the RLE at MIT, hosted by Prof. Muriel Medard. Between 2018-2020 he was a postdoc at ISR at UMD, hosted by Prof. Alexander Barg. Since 2020 he has been an assistant professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research interests include constrained coding, Information and coding for biology, and dynamical systems.