IHCS: Cyber Systems: DWDM Multi-Mode Switching for Telesurgery and Heterogeneous Applications

University Of Houston, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this research is to develop a novel router architecture that can cost effectively support a large number of dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) channels while meeting the needs of a diverse set of applications. The approach is to design an integrated multi-mode switching router platform that can concurrently support electronic packet switching, optical circuit switching, and optical burst switching. With this multi-mode switching approach, each wavelength channel can be individually reconfigured to a different switching mode. Each application or each type of message within an application can choose the most appropriate switching mode. With respect to intellectual merit, the project provides an approach for cost effective scaling of router systems by maintaining a relatively small number of expensive electronic switching ports. The evaluation of the interplay among different switching modes within the multi-mode switching router node provides insights into performance and cost tradeoffs. The development of integrated multi-mode scheduling schemes provides a unified approach to manage system resources shared among different switching modes. With respect to broader impacts, the proposed approach has the potential to facilitate a variety of heterogeneous networked applications, including telemedicine and telesurgery which are explicitly considered in this research. Telemedicine and telesurgery allow medical experts and resources to be shared remotely and offer the opportunity to change the how quality medical services can be delivered. This project and its related network test bed provide training opportunities to graduate and undergraduate students, especially women and students from other underrepresented groups. High school students work on related projects in the principal investigator's research laboratory and this has the potential to attract these students to engineering.