Viral Comms WG:
The Viral Community
David P. Reed
Andy Lippman
May, 2007
Viral Communications
Challenge:
What does it mean for humans to be able
to construct networks shaped by their
natural communities?
Viral Communications
Viral Networks
Scalable
Incremental
Value-Enabling
Socially-Constructed, User-driven
Viral Communications
Viral Technologies Explored
Radio Magic – radio networks that cooperate by sensing
and adapting to their physical environment and user
needs – software-defined physical layer radio
Peer Multicast – exploit “gossip”
Multiconnectivity – every device has many interfaces
Viral Overlay – build on what's already there
Contributory infrastructure – to share the answer
Viral Communications
Radio Magic
Melange – a wireless LAN protocol that exploits
the capabilities of GNU software radio platform,
more scalable and adaptable than WiFi.
Multiple Identity – user-controlled RFID, allowing
users to negotiate with their institutional
environment
Viral Communications
Peer Multicast
TV Rewired – peer-to-peer, real-time content distribution
without servers, providing resilient and scalable
distribution for communities of any size and scale
Snap and Share – asynchronous multicast of information
based on opportunities to connect
Fluid Voice - “pull to listen” - put the receivers in control of
conferencing and collaboration
Xcast – peer-to-peer local content production and
distribution
Viral Communications
Contributory Infrastructure
XO Mesh – exploiting and scaling the mesh
network built into the $100 laptop, to meet the
needs of kids
Community Storage – serverless storage that
packs 10 lbs of books in a 3 lb laptop
UniPlug – community contributes the means to
construct multi-device systems Viral Communications
Themes
Intelligence is cheap and fast and portable
(sense, adapt, evolve)
The network context exists everywhere
(context can be presumed)
Can put the user or endpoint back in
charge
Viral Communications
Viral Overlay
• Virtual Mobile Internet - “proto LTF”
– Virtualize heterogeneous transport
– Virtualize location
• Peers: Overlay peer-to-peer stream
distribution
• Loops: Overlay distributed event and
sensor data distribution
Viral Communications
A Viral Proto-LTF
PCS Data
Carrier
Carrier interface;
Carrier integration;
portable platforms;
MIT-MVNO;
development env
MIT gateway
Campus
WiMax testbed;
accessible processing;
Spot beam
“Cooperative SDR”
Virtual Mobile Internet; Peers; Loops; Unified Sensors; Unified Identity & Auth
Viral Communications
Liquidity of connection
• MIT Internet
• MIT MVNO
• “WiMax/Mesh” to
Boston/Cambridge
• Spot beams
Viral Communications
Liquidity of identity
• “Personal router”
• Initially embodied
in Amulet
• User-controlled
identity and
interaction
Viral Communications
Liquid context & environment
• UniPlug adapts
“legacy” technology
• Contributory –
everyone in
community helps
Viral Communications
Looking forward:
Multiconnectivity
• Laptops, phones have multiple radios
• Environment has multiple “access
modes”
• SDR coming into its own
• “Tussle” for control of/by the individual
• Explore: how to choose mode based on
context and goal
Viral Communications