*Article* **Clustering Based Optimal Cluster Head Selection Using Bio-Inspired Neural Network in Energy Optimization of 6LowPAN**

**Mudassir Khan 1, A. Ilavendhan 2, C. Nelson Kennedy Babu 3, Vishal Jain 4, S. B. Goyal 5,\*, Chaman Verma 6, Calin Ovidiu Safirescu 7,\* and Traian Candin Mihaltan <sup>8</sup>**


**Abstract:** The goal of today's technological era is to make every item smart. Internet of Things (IoT) is a model shift that gives a whole new dimension to the common items and things. Wireless sensor networks, particularly Low-Power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), are essential components of IoT that has a significant influence on daily living. Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks (RPL) has become the standard protocol for IoT and LLNs. It is not only used widely but also researched by various groups of people. The extensive use of RPL and its customization has led to demanding research and improvements. There are certain issues in the current RPL mechanism, such as an energy hole, which is a huge issue in the context of IoT. By the initiation of Grid formation across the sensor nodes, which can simplify the cluster formation, the Cluster Head (CH) selection is accomplished using fish swarm optimization (FSO). The performance of the Graph-Grid-based Convolution clustered neural network with fish swarm optimization (GG-Conv\_Clus-FSO) in energy optimization of the network is compared with existing state-of-the-art protocols, and GG-Conv\_Clus-FSO outperforms the existing approaches, whereby the packet delivery ratio (PDR) is enhanced by 95.14%.

**Keywords:** RPL; fish swarm; bio-inspired approach; energy optimization; grid formation; convolution clustering; data transmission; cluster head; alive and dead node
