Literature Database Entry

torres-gomez2026how

Jorge Torres Gómez, "How Time-Sensitive are IoBNT Networks? An Age of Information Perspective for In-Body Monitoring," Habilitation, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), TU Berlin (TUB), March 2026. (Advisor: Falko Dressler; Referees: Falko Dressler, Massimiliano Pierobon and Tuna Tugcu)

Abstract

This thesis formulates a theoretical framework to evaluate the monitoring capability of internet of bio-nano-things (IoBNT) networks. The topic develops the timely detection and treatment of potential diseases for deployed IoBNT networks in the human body. We target an IoBNT network comprising nanosensors that passively flow in the bloodstream and can detect biomarkers related to potential diseases. Nanosensors can also report this detection to external gateways placed on the skin’s surface that host a monitor device. In this way, the nanosensors fetch an artificial point-to-point communication channel between the disease region in the human body and the monitor device. Similar to standard communication channels but for different reasons, some packets might get to the destination straight, while others can get lost (through vessel circuits other than the gateway). Following this network structure, we evaluate the network monitoring capability over this artificial channel using the age of information (AoI) concept. The AoI concept incorporates the joint integration of sample generation (at the disease region), carrying (nanosensor travel through the human vessels), and delivery (nanosensor-to-gateway) as random events. These three random events are represented through (i) a Markov model, which follows the physiology of the cardiovascular system, and (ii) channel models of reported nanocommunication technologies. Furthermore, we evaluate the transition probabilities for the Markov model using a cardiovascular system simulator, which consists of a low-complexity electric circuit model representing the human vessels. As for the nanosensor-to-gateway link model, we model two well-known schemes with ultrasonic and terahertz channels. Aiming to assess the monitoring capabilities of this network, we integrate these components within the AoI framework and illustrate the most relevant figures for information freshness with the average peak age of information (PAoI) metric. Under realistic physiological assumptions and communication models, we evaluate the order of magnitude in the tens of seconds to display fresh information on the monitor. In this way, this network can monitor processes at the tissue level, such as bacteria infections, and more adequate network architectures are needed to monitor on a cellular scale, where processes occur in a timescale of less than tens of seconds.

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Jorge Torres Gómez

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@phdthesis{torres-gomez2026how,
    author = {Torres G{\'{o}}mez, Jorge},
    title = {{How Time-Sensitive are IoBNT Networks? An Age of Information Perspective for In-Body Monitoring}},
    advisor = {Dressler, Falko},
    institution = {School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS)},
    location = {Berlin, Germany},
    month = {3},
    referee = {Dressler, Falko and Pierobon, Massimiliano and Tugcu, Tuna},
    school = {TU Berlin (TUB)},
    type = {Habilitation},
    year = {2026},
   }
   
   

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Last modified: 2026-04-21