Autonomously Evolving Communication Protocols: The Case of Multi-Hop Broadcast

Abstract

While traditional telecommunication still relies on rigid, highly regulated, and highly controlled communication protocols, with the emergence of new forms of networks (mobile ad hoc and delay-tolerant networks, lacking central infrastructure and strict regulations) bio-inspired communication protocols have also found their way to success. In this chapter we introduce a nontraditional way of creating and shaping communication protocols, through an autonomous machine intelligence model, built upon on-line evolutionary methods such as natural selection and genetic programming. Creating a genetic programming language and a selection mechanism for multi-hop broadcast protocols in ad hoc networks, we show that this kind of approach can outperform traditional ones under given circumstances, offering a powerful alternative in the future.