Non-coherent Signal Detection Algorithm Based on Molecular Communication and Its Experimental Verification

Demodulation at the receiver is a pivotal process in molecular communication (MC), involving the identification and transformation of transmitted signals to retrieve the original information from the sender. Due to the unique properties of MC, traditional demodulation techniques from electromagnetic communication cannot be directly applied. The demodulation process in MC must account for complex factors such as molecular diffusion, reaction kinetics, and environmental influences, which can affect the receiver's ability to recognize and process signals. Most existing signal detection methods rely on an unbounded model, which does not align with real-world communication scenarios, and are unsuitable for bounded environments. Addressing these issues, this paper proposes a non-coherent signal detection method suitable for bounded models, using pre-smoothing of data to set thresholds for current time slots. Through experimental simulations of the communication process using the molecular communication simulator developed by China Mobile, we analyze the channel capacity and bit error rate (BER). The results demonstrate that our approach significantly reduces the BER and enhances the reliability of MC in bounded environments.