Earths’ resources are depleting. Lifespan among Earthlings has increased, population is rising. Following that, urbanization is only causing harmful effect. Natural disasters are becoming ever destructive, and more frequent. Mainly earthquakes, tidal waves, tsunami, hurricanes, tornadoes, and abnormal weather. Sad picture.
Major problems are considered the fossil fuels, income, travel expense, health issues due to the climate abnormalities, pollution, etc... We are forced to eat mass produced or processed food, because it makes more profit than the regular fruits and vegetables. Genetics are already playing tricks with our health, programming our children to gain more weight with less food consumed. All of that is for profit increase, versus logistic losses. It is good to eat bananas right where they grow, since there is no need to pick them green, and drag them half way across the globe. Same thing with most of the products, where the most of the price is the cost of delivery and storage, with consideration of losses due to the loss of original quality during delivery and storage. Pollution produced by the vehicles that deliver these products, by far outweighs the positive effect from these products. Taste is always worse than “off the tree”. And we could go on...
What would the nature do in order to solve all of the above problems? Birds, animals, and fish are migrating to where it’s better, to where it’s easier to survive and feed the offspring. Salmon is traveling miles away from home waters to spawn right where it’s better for the procreation cause. Birds are migrating to the warmer climates, where it’s easier to get food and survive. So could the homo-sapiens, possessing the Autonomous Floating Unit (AFU).
For over nine years we are working on a “Frogs’ Caviar” project designing and perfecting the Autonomous Floating Communities, consisting of larger “Hub Units”, surrounded by the AFU’s. Similar projects were known to be developed even prior to our initial interest to this matter. The Atlantis project (oceania.org) which started in 1974(!!!) and was “suspended” due to the lack of interest in 1994. Whose interest did the project lacked? What would it do to the whole picture? How was it supposed to affect the way we live now? We look a bit different at this project. We are not trying to entertain the wealthy adventurers. The proposed solution is including, but never limited to, a minimal and completely natural solutions to the most of humanity’s problems. We are not looking for the investors or grants. We do not need the mass media to praise us for the solution. It will be enough, if the sober part of earthlings would agree, that the proposal makes sense.
Our effort began at analyzing the situation in Japan, Netherlands (and now New Orleans), where the flood is possibility number one, and the earthquakes, typhoons, Tsunami, and lack of vast areas to populate and grow food is the everyday problem.
So the prime element of this system is the hexagon (viewed from top the docked AFUs will look like honey cells) float. There are ways of manufacturing the floats by “filling” concrete boxes with SPF (Sprayed Polyurethane Foam), which is easy to produce, and cost effective. However, the float could be made virtually of “anything that floats” without deteriorating and polluting the water. Here comes the way to utilize the non toxic plastics and other non biodegradable thrash.
The floats to be hexagon shaped (top view) to allow for the most effective (6:1) clustering. Docking modules to be designed (or adopted) to be standard, so the AFU owner would be able to tow his home to the desired community, or expand their property by adding new living quarters, greenhouse, aquaponic (fish and mollusk farming), and other multifunctional modules.
The best solution for the shelter for all of the above would become the geodesic domes and their siblings (stratodesic and Fly’s Eye domes likewise.). Needless to explain that the domes are the most lightweight, stable, aerodynamic, and energy efficient structures.
Additional equipment would include inflatable ramps to reach the shore, solar panels (heat and electric), wind turbines (windside.com) and wave generators, producing clean energy to be used for household equipment and for water purification, composting toilets (sun-mar.com) to recycle organic waste, and supply the floating farms with perfect compost. Telecommunication and navigation equipment would be also nice to have.
Larger (“mother” floats) could be designed to accommodate the hub functions for the residential domes. The hub floats would serve as the recreational and service facilities, where restaurants, clubs, churches, stadiums, hotels, shops, casinos (international waters allow gambling) and offices (offshore) would prosper. The hub floats would let yachts and hydroplanes to dock and refuel. Hub floats would also allow for centralized (communal) energy and potable water redistribution. Nightclubs could be towed away from the residential floats to minimize the harmful effects of the loud music and excited people. Floating manufacturing facilities would benefit from logistic advantages (ships could bypass the chain of unloads and storage sequences). Microelectronics manufacturing would benefit from instant dust free environment.
These communities would greatly benefit from tax free offshore policies and create many jobs. People would live at the waterfront properties (considered the most attractive real estate at the mainland), and spent the most time where they used to go for a weeks vacation. Sea world theme parks and seaquariums would not hold the marine life in artificial environments. We all know the positive health effect of the sea water and air, thus there will be less health issues related to cold weather and pollution. Floating economy would produce an immense surplus to be traded for the mainland products. Manufacturing could be towed to the areas where the product is needed, minimizing the social effect of commercial and residential construction related to the new facility establishment, and bringing logistics to the minimum. Circus and theatres would be able to tour the ports and densely populated shores with minimal effort. Schools, universities, and research facilities would be able to travel by default (nothing educates better than traveling).
We are sure, that reading this you have came up with the few additional ways to improve the life on Earth, using the floating communities. That some exciting ideas came to your mind. To contribute you can e-mail us at gravitonium.oy@gmail.com.
The work on this project is an ongoing process, and we encourage you to request more information by writing us at gravitonium.oy@gmail.com & alkarex@gmail.com
all images are for illustation purposes only, and belong to their respective owners.