Project AVATAR
System Outline : The Future is Ready Now

Changing codes and a changing world have thrown much into the lap of the modern builder that simply wasn’t there in the first, innocent generation of skyscrapers. The initial changes, like demand for sprinkler systems, air conditioning, and higher-capacity electrical systems came soon enough, but now new requirements come one after the other. Video surveillance, energy conservation technology, co-generation, access control, as well as structural reinforcement and high-bandwidth data spines have all come into their own as essentials. The larger building, while possessing ever greater potential for economies of scale, now threatens to drown its operators in a sea of details, neglect of any one of which can cause bigger, more expensive problems down the road.

Tacking on the fruits of advancing technology bit by bit is becoming cost-prohibitive and brings with it the prospect of one system interfering with another and consultants and technicians specialized in their own systems being unfamiliar with others. Costs of updating the building’s operating staff’s knowledge of the different technologies also begin to rise.

Fortunately, a new trend that tames this technological Tower of Babel has begun. Computers have started taking on the onerous task of managing the varied systems and tracking all the details. The true power of Building Automation has just germinated, its potential on display with systems now commercially available.

Project AVATAR uses a different model to combine high reliability, network security, and ease of use by both tenants and operators.

In this era of computer insecurity, the AVATAR will operate on a dedicated network, connected to the tenant systems and the World Wide Web only by a server that also acts as a hardware firewall. Any coding modifications or updates to the AVATAR’s own programming must be entered directly into the AVATAR’s own computers by properly authorized personnel. Information requests and answers can be passed freely to tenants’ and outside computers through the AVATAR’s external server, but this slightly slower method need not be the primary mode of communication with the AVATAR.

A typical hardware configuration would include the primary mainframe computer, external server, and database storage in the building’s basement. There, out of the tenants’ way, the room can be electromagnetically shielded, reinforced against explosions, and climate-controlled for optimum computer performance. The main operators’ console would be here as well, with ample space for status displays, performance monitoring, and any specific surveillance needs.

Because of the sensor-intensive, real-time operating needs of the AVATAR’s environment and to increase reliability, secondary computers are positioned at regular intervals, every 10-20 floors depending on floor size and data load, to provide upstream processing of sensor readings and downstream filtering of commands sent by the primary computer or operators. Network communication would be fiber-optic based to accommodate the high speed and bandwidth required by the AVATAR, as well as keeping the weight of these systems within the building low.

In the event of the failure of a secondary computer, one of the adjacent computers would take on its processing duties while the other assists in rebooting the crashed computer.

Sensors and their data streams are organized on a regional rather than a system or functional basis to achieve maximum flexibility. For example, a suite of infrared sensors in an area could be used to track fire threats or personnel, detect motors or electronics in distress, or receive short-range signal bursts for an asset tracking system.

Properly equipping an AVATAR with senses and means of communication will give it a rich environment that it can manipulate to the advantage of both occupants and operators. A typical minimal configuration is listed below. Extensions are limited only by funding, capacity of the implementation computers chosen, and imagination.

Inputs: digital video cameras (can also be used as motion detectors), microphones, infrared sensors, internal air-quality monitors (aside from the usual temperature, humidity, and pressure sensing, can also be used to screen for smoke, chemical hazards, and biologic agents), external air-samplers, connections to monitor and control building systems, ultrasonic structural integrity testing system, radiation detectors on exterior perimeter

Outputs: AVATAR communications terminals with touch screens, video and audio I/O, contacts for synching with maintenance workers’ handheld terminals and/or laptops (at least two to a floor and in all public areas), public address system, internal radio repeater system (could also serve as wireless backup for secondary computer and other AVATAR network communications), full, fine-grade control over all building systems

The artificial intelligence (AI) of an AVATAR is well equipped to handle this highest priority of tasks. Protecting the tenants from danger, primarily fire, explosion, biological, chemical, or radioactive assaults is the ultimate reason for the AVATAR’s vigilance.

The AVATAR keeps for itself a record of ever-changing occupancy for a variety of purposes, and in an emergency, such an up-to-date record is an invaluable tool. Humans in the heat of a crisis lose track of each other or forget and this could handicap or endanger any responding rescuers. An AVATAR would be able to give an accounting for all who were in an affected area, even those unfamiliar to the AVATAR, known only as a deliverer, contractor, guest, or client of a tenant company. Such an accounting will include pictures, descriptions, and last known location of the individuals.

This high-level awareness plays a vital role in all stages of the AVATAR’s response to an emergency. Human officials typically suffer from woefully incomplete information when pressed to make critical decisions, while an AVATAR would know much more of the whole situation. Which hazards are present in which areas, which types of assistance to summon, which routes to use to clear people from the area safely and effectively, and how to best contain the problem are decisions that can be made in seconds by the AVATAR based on available sensor data and the overall "big picture" developed over time.

Instructions delivered over public address can be customized by area and by occupants’ differing levels of familiarity with the building. It can issue calls to service to occupants known to have specialized skills or leadership responsibility. Any evacuations would be staged and orderly.

With the ability to "feel" and check the operating status of mechanical systems, an AVATAR can swiftly marshal its resources to protect itself from further damage. This knowledge should serve to assuage the reluctance of firefighters to use elevators, for example, and efficiently guide them to operative standpipes.

The AVATAR could make use of other building systems not typically thought of as life-safety systems to contain problems. Zonal HVAC control would be a particularly potent weapon. Normally used for tenant comfort, the system would respond to sensor data to isolate an area by shutting down airflow or using pressure manipulation. In the case of smoke, higher pressures will keep stairwells and elevator shafts clear and trap smoke to a single floor or less. Other situations involving other toxins might require the venting of an area, completely changing the air. Early detection of smoldering electrical equipment would be accompanied by a shutdown of the power circuits possibly involved, preventing an escalation of the problem. Creative manipulation of lighting circuits could illuminate an escape route for the hearing-impaired or panicked.

An AVATAR will prove to be a significant enhancement over the traditional rent-a-cops at a reception desk and a CCTV room. While personnel will still be required for such hands-on tasks as removing troublemakers and aiding those who prefer not to deal with machines in favor of a human face (despite the fact that an AVATAR could use an animated humanoid icon on its display screens), the AVATAR will more than compensate for unavoidable human weaknesses. Inattention, inexperience, lunch breaks, and shift changes will no longer open up a gap in security. There would be no interruptions in coverage or report sharing or record keeping, no day late and a dollar short identification and reaction to problem trends and a vastly lowered risk of botched responses due to incomplete information.

The AVATAR would be able to fall back on its extensive database records when asked about individuals matching a given description, providing entry times and destinations, even leading security personnel to the individual’s last known location. This would be far more useful and accurate than asking the guard at the desk to recall a particular someone out of thousands who may have passed through at a given time and date, especially if that someone did nothing to distinguish himself or herself.

Occupants are recognized by name, face, and voice. Any authorized occupant can introduce another person to the AVATAR at any of the AVATAR’s communication terminals. The only other information the AVATAR would need initially would be the tenant affiliation, assumed to be the same as the introducer if not specified, and internal access specifications. The latter is an optional feature that can be enabled by a tenant needing to protect valuable equipment or sensitive information. These can be relegated to specific rooms that the AVATAR will unlock only for those so authorized. Another option would be to attach a short-range radio or infrared asset-tracking tag to the valuable item that would allow an AVATAR to locate it at any time.

Routine security tasks like announcing and directing visitors, deliverers, and contractors, or guiding and informing tourists, can be automated by an AVATAR to whatever degree necessary, including relay of an image of a visitor to the intended hosts for identification. An additional level of security can flow from this feature to protect tenants from stalkers or harassers. Those who tenants identify as troublemakers will not be admitted to the tenants’ areas. Those identified as stalkers will not be given any information as to the whereabouts of the occupants involved. In both cases, occupants will be warned of the problem person’s presence, and if the individual continues to loiter with no apparent legitimate purpose, security and/or the police will be summoned with appropriate details.

While an up-to-date internal directory of occupants facilitates business between tenants and with outsiders, the tenants will be able to specify which directory information can be released and to whom. Managing the specific standards will be effortless to the AVATAR and far more reliable than notations in the guards’ log.

For occupants, working or living in an AVATAR-operated building will be a cut above standards in comfort and ease of use. With tenure, one’s increasing familiarity to the AVATAR can even allow it to anticipate one’s needs and requests. Anticipation of group needs and requests will occur as well, enabling the AVATAR to adapt to shifting patterns of use in its resource management, resulting in everything from faster elevator response time to a fresher, more stable indoor environment.

The primary means of interaction with the AVATAR will be the communications terminals. These will be located in all public areas of the building and a minimum of two sites per floor. Additional sites can be added as needed depending on floor size, floor plans, or tenant requests.

A touch of the screen will catch the AVATAR’s attention. The screen can be used to display requested information, maps, or the AVATAR’s animated icon. Most interactions will be handled through natural speech. Cameras in the terminal identify the user and verify the voice recognition.

In turn, the AVATAR can get the attention of tenants by paging them over the PA, summoning them to a communications terminal for private messages or messages of unknown sensitivity.

This easy access to the building’s master intelligence allows for improved services. Deliveries and clients may be pre-cleared. Environmental settings can be adjusted to meet preferences. Additional energy management strategies can be enabled. If any building equipment is not performing to satisfaction and the AVATAR has not already noticed the problem, a complaint can be delivered right to the source, therefore ensuring a prompt investigation and adjustment. Upon request, the AVATAR will deliver clear progress reports on any repairs or requested enhancements.

Life after hours will not be an extra concern for occupants. The AVATAR can see outside, over its grounds, as well as inside, making sure that the tenant’s path is clear. A simple communications and GPS system interface will allow the AVATAR to detect the approach of needed subways, trains, or buses. A designated signal light could be used to alert taxicabs as a tenant approaches an after-hours stand.

The AVATAR’s adaptability opens up possibilities for more customized or less-frequently utilized services. Among them could be accommodations for disabled occupants, tailored to the individual occupant and their disability. Another could be handling usage for shared facilities such as auditoriums and conference rooms, taking reservations, assigning priorities, arranging services, and making schedules.

An AVATAR could also serve as a digital traffic cop, monitoring usage of the tenant Internet trunk line. Watch points set in advance would allow the AVATAR to warn that the network is nearing capacity and that low-priority bulk tasks should be rescheduled. Until upgrades are made, the AVATAR could assist in management of the network through its external network server, activating routines in the tenant network servers.

During off-peak times, an AVATAR could take on intelligent Internet search functions or automatic faxing of delivery orders for tenants working late. As long as there is capacity to spare, the AVATAR’s urge to serve will be fulfilled by handling low-priority services when it can.

Often, the bulk of inefficiency and waste comes from the most obvious and common sources. Unfortunately, these are usually the hardest to plug. This is where the AVATAR can excel for building owners and operators.

In a large building, there are numerous far-reaching and complex electronic and mechanical systems to service. With hundreds of critical locations, each with their own access issues and needs, delivering proper preventative maintenance can easily become a headache. Schedules can be thrown off for any of a thousand reasons. Manpower availability can shift from hour to hour and from day to day. One weak link in the supply chain can result in critical equipment not being there when needed.

Overall mechanical health is a major factor in a building’s ability to satisfy its tenants and running jokes of the fickleness of this or that system aren’t really funny to the tellers. Plus, neglect of a little problem has a tendency to turn into several big, costly problems over time. Therefore, keeping that good health is a very high priority for the AVATAR.

The key to keeping critical, heavily used equipment in good working order is periodic testing under controlled conditions and regular inspection and/or replacement of parts subject to wear. The AVATAR will automate most of the routine tests, constantly monitor the performance of the component as a whole as well as critical parts. Any anomalous results will be immediately flagged by the controlling secondary computer and brought to the attention of the primary. "Drift" out of specs can also be nipped in the bud. Comparisons to the operating history of the device will provide clues as to the nature of a problem. This information will be compiled and made easily available to service personnel to aid troubleshooting.

Tests that cannot be automated will not continue to be the challenge and bottleneck they are currently. Working with tenant usage patterns and maintenance personnel schedules, the AVATAR can provide "windows of opportunity" for this more intensive work. Once the maintainers have agreed on a schedule for performance of these tests, the AVATAR will ensure the way is clear for them and all items required are available.

Who has not encountered some sorry parody of the "telephone game" when dealing with tenant complaints and maintenance issues? Most tenants are not sufficiently knowledgeable to detail their observations and issues that would lead a troubleshooter to the source of a malfunction. Even dead-on specific complaints may not find their way to the people able to correct the problem. Patterns of vague complaints or false alarms can cause maintainers to respectfully ignore certain reporters, resulting in a delay in finding legitimate problems. Despite the best of intentions, maintainers are not always at the beck and call of tenants, and so have a lower possibility of catching trouble in progress.

The AVATAR, however, is there to respond to tenants. Its constant presence and role as an information clearinghouse ensures prompt investigation of tenants’ problems. In many cases, a simple reset will suffice to clear a problem, avoiding waste of maintainers’ time. The AVATAR can self-test the affected device using standard procedures and replication of the conditions of failure, narrowing down possible sources of the failure or anomaly. Reports of the actual problem, along with a work order and the list of supplies needed to fix the problem will be forwarded promptly to the responsible maintainers. The history of the device will be made available, shifting the focus from possibly delicate or unfruitful troubleshooting to actual corrections and repairs. The AVATAR itself will update the device’s records, eliminating gaps due to staff eager to get home.

Nobody seems to love doing the paperwork required to keep things going. While most employees will fill out forms to the standards required, the sloppiness or carelessness of a few can gum up the works, causing waste and confusion.

Because of the critical nature of work orders, the standards to which they are completed become key to their effectiveness. Having the AVATAR serve as the single source of work orders will ensure that all necessary information is given uniformly and that any work requested is actually completed. "Losing" work orders will no longer be an excuse. In fact, a completely paperless system utilizing handheld devices or laptops becomes possible.

If only all tenant companies were as concerned about saving energy in the workplace as in controlling their own personal bills. Even if the building is wired to attribute excesses in usage to the tenant responsible, the waste still produces load and wear on shared building systems. Common areas, where no specific user can be pegged with energy waste, are another source of excess expense.

In such cases, the AVATAR will serve as a safety net, making up for natural human shortcomings. Areas that will be unoccupied for a prolonged period of time are automatically powered down. Approach of maintenance or cleaning personnel will trigger a temporary power-up for the duration of their presence. Their level of safety will be improved as well, as they don’t have to enter areas left dark by tenants who are conscientious. The AVATAR will see them coming and prepare. When they leave, the AVATAR will restore the space to its powered-down state.

The AVATAR’s ability to sense outside conditions will also play a role in its management of the indoor environment, preventing excessive effort and the waste it brings. Natural air circulation and light outside the building can be harnessed to moderate the need for artificial conditioning.

Proper upkeep of supply stores is a challenge in any large business. The employee who uses the last of a given item without notifying the supply manager of its depletion causes untold aggravation to other employees, and no matter how careful the human resources department is, every workplace seems to end up with at least one of these. In the case of keeping parts and supplies for a large building, this sort of situation is often responsible for excessive expense.

That is why the AVATAR will keep track of its own critical supplies, noting use of items, and reordering on a rational, regular basis. If oversight is needed, the AVATAR can instead produce a report to the responsible person, detailing which items were used, projected usage in the immediate future, and which stocks are getting depleted. The relevant order forms can then be generated for signing and faxing out. In an environment where there are few manufacturers for a given part, or huge overseas shipping delays for others, this will be an easy way to cut costs.

The AVATAR’s first and foremost purpose is to serve the building’s tenants and owners/managers, but why stop there? Cooperation with other entities and agencies can create a benefit stream that will flow both ways. In a city, no building is an island and despite normal competition between tenants and between building owners/managers, some coordination is necessary to keep things running smoothly. The AVATAR would contribute to the well being of its community and also seek out others of its kind, sharing histories and experiences to steepen their learning curves.

Integration with Law Enforcement and Emergency Management

The roles of the AVATAR within the building and the Police Department within the city have many parallels and a great deal of overlap. The AVATAR will rely on law enforcement for assistance as certain situations unfold within the building, obviously, but there are ways the AVATAR could give back too.

The AVATAR’s facial recognition technology and constant vigilance are valuable assets, even when the building itself is private property. Local law enforcement can compile “wanted lists” from its variety of contacts and make them available to the AVATAR, updating it as necessary. In the case of terrorists, these lists can become crucial elements in mutual defense. With proper assistance and training, an AVATAR can be taught to recognize “casing” patterns common to criminals and terrorists, and query both its own security force and/or police for further investigation of individuals suspected of “casing” places. This will raise the level of protection against small, unknown cells of conspirators.

Upon request of police officials, the AVATAR can assist in surveillance of individuals, with the legality burden of specific cases falling upon the requesting police official.

Since the AVATAR can see outside the building as well as inside, and AVATAR-equipped buildings will typically be the larger and taller ones, informing and assisting officers in the local area will be a big contribution of the AVATAR citizen. Traffic jams, accidents, water main breaks, and even fires in other buildings may be noticed and reported by an AVATAR before any others. Detection of crimes in progress will not be hampered by darkness if it is within an AVATAR’s sights and pattern-recognition ability. If there is a pursuit occurring nearby, an AVATAR can guide the officers until their helicopter reaches the area.

In more serious emergency situations, the AVATAR will be there to accept instructions from designated officials. This could make the difference in crowd control, traffic control, and resource management. The AVATAR would be a constant in a fast-changing environment, and a willing resource responders can count on.

The Communications Advantage

In a wide variety of situations, routine or not, critical or not, open communications are key. A bottleneck or break anywhere in the proper flow of information could mean the difference between harmony and chaos. It could also mean the difference between life and death. Vital communications by necessity are supposed to be built with redundancy and extra capacity. Central elements typically are, but out in the field the margin for error gets much thinner.

Within a building, an AVATAR’s systems meet the standard for vital design. There is a duplication of routes from the central computer to each node computer as well as a bypass through a downed node computer to the local devices it monitors and operates. A third element is the wireless repeaters available if both hard-wired lines are compromised.

Aside from the AVATAR’s internal communications, there are a variety of ways for the AVATAR to communicate with its occupants. On a routine basis, this would include voice, images, and text for high priority messages. Creation of computer data files and/or printouts would suffice for more detailed and less time-sensitive tasks, especially those required for the building staff such as compilations of statistics, generation of work orders, production of reports, and projections of supply needs. The wireless repeaters would have a normal role in operations by enabling the AVATAR to radio mobile staff over standard maintenance frequencies or even to page them from within the complex. This is in addition to the role the repeaters would play in ensuring the continuity of occupants’ and visitors’ own cell phone, pager, and handheld radio service, with priority given to users of emergency service frequencies within the building. These repeaters would compensate for the disadvantage emergency service radios have vertically in steel and concrete high-rises.

An AVATAR could also turn to external networks to reach the highly redundant Internet. Sending information via e-mail or file transfer protocols extends an AVATAR’s capabilities at little cost. It could reach an external paging service to reach off-duty or far-flung maintenance personnel. Plus, tall buildings are often equipped with additional radio and microwave transceiver capabilities both publicly and privately owned. It would be a small matter to integrate these into an AVATAR’s network for constant monitoring. More information will enable an AVATAR to learn and adapt faster.

With these abilities, an AVATAR will be able to make up for gaps that may open in the field. A command post near an AVATAR building can use the AVATAR’s facilities as a replacement for downed emergency radio repeaters, or bypass clogged frequencies altogether by sending data over the Internet to headquarters. When trouble occurs, an AVATAR would be a reliable, extremely capable team player.

Training of Firefighters

These days, more and more cities are requiring owners of tall, large “population magnet” facilities to provide some sort of orientation to local firefighters. An AVATAR could not only give a better orientation at less expense, but also utilize off-peak times and vacant space to provide simulations and drills to sharpen the skills of rescuers. Such services may prove valuable enough to earn the owners of an AVATAR building additional fees, insurance credits, or tax breaks.

An AVATAR would be able to produce detailed maps showing floor plans, basic structural details, standpipe locations and placement of lockers for fire-fighting equipment storage. These can be sent along with response guidelines to fire department computers at negligible cost. The next level of accommodation, guided tours for area firefighters, would not add much more for compliance. Minimal staff assistance will be needed, with the AVATAR itself conducting much of the tour and subsequent conference where basic emergency response and evacuation strategies are discussed and illustrated by the AVATAR on its display screen. The AVATAR would learn and integrate that fire-fighting group’s procedures and strategies and develop guidelines for working together through various stages of response.

Crossing over into the “value added” realm, an AVATAR’s intelligence could be harnessed to help create realistic incident simulations without dramatic effect on other areas of the building. An AVATAR can execute pre-created scenarios developed by fire instructors. Non-involved occupants would be directed away from the affected areas. Simulated smoke, dummy and actor “victims”, excessive temperatures and drafts, and various communications, electrical, and mechanical “breakdowns” can be put into play as necessary in the AVATAR’s controlled environment for “everything but live fire” realism. The AVATAR’s cameras will record the event and send it on to the company commanders and academy instructors for further review. With guidance, the AVATAR can also compile relevant statistics including critical time measurements, efficiency of sweeps, and percentage of victims found soon enough.

Sharing the Power

A combination of technological progress, energy deregulation, and grid consolidation has left electric consumption rising but nobody in charge of erecting power plants. The word “brownout” has unfortunately become familiar to everybody. The necessity of an AVATAR to have a backup power supply in this environment can become an asset. Fuel cells are practical for use in buildings and during times of peak usage, an AVATAR building can carry its own load and assist the grid as needed.

Minimally, backup power would consist of a fuel cell and batteries for vital tenant applications, like servers, another fuel cell and batteries for vital building systems, like elevators and emergency lighting, and, within the shielded area for the AVATAR’s central computer and database, a separate, smaller fuel cell and battery to sustain the AVATAR.

There is no reason in the case of the former two applications, if the backup batteries are properly charged, that the fuel cells involved could not be utilized on a non-emergency basis. In fact, it would be prudent to install fuel cells with higher-rated outputs wherever the infrastructure to supply them exists.

On high-load days with proper notification, an AVATAR building could become an interruptible customer. This capability could earn the building owner significant discounts on utility rates while sacrificing little. Through aggressive control of its own consumption, running off the three fuel cell units will be effortless for the integrated building.

Through installation of higher-capacity fuel cells, the AVATAR could provide an assist to the grid when asked. Having AVATAR-operated fuel cells would be a cheap and easy way of putting some slack in a taut power supply. Utilities and building owners could share the costs of extra-capacity units. The AVATAR would tend to them and manage them like any other building system. Efficiency and reliability would be high all around, and through constant communication between the AVATAR and the utility, only the capacity necessary will be deployed.

Active Defenses: AVATARS as Guardians of the City

In earlier sections of this paper, the passive defenses of the AVATAR were outlined. There is no reason to stop at that, though. It would be easy to give an AVATAR building the means to actively prevent harm to itself and its tenants. Certain systems, when installed and supported with proper programming, training, and cooperation, would enable an AVATAR to serve as guardian of its area or even the whole city around it.

Only imagination and the willingness of the Office of Homeland Security limit the potential here. Coordination between the AVATAR and Homeland Security can be accomplished through ultra-secure dedicated phone lines if necessary. Short sketches follow of some possible systems that can be implemented with currently available or soon-to-mature technologies.

Drone vehicles, both land-based and flying, offer a cost-effective way for an AVATAR to extend its capabilities within and around its building or complex. High-speed processors allow these devices to handle navigation and interpretation of commands on board. The AVATAR to which the vehicle is assigned would be able to interpolate the vehicle’s situation from a few sensor updates per second and react with fresh commands and course corrections.

Cost and insurance concerns may lead many building owners to choose not to deploy drone vehicles on a routine basis, but keeping some for times of crisis could save hundreds of lives and millions of dollars in damage, and not just to one’s own building.

AVATAR-operated drones could be deployed more quickly than analogous police-operated models to the immediate area to deal with suspicious packages or vehicles. Sensors on the drones will allow an AVATAR to make a swift decision as to the threat level and, if necessary, drag it off to a site where the hazard can be contained or disposed of.

Intercepting airborne hazards safely and effectively leads to a new level of technological challenge that is rapidly being met. Small, agile autonomous helicopters are now available for a variety of sensitive applications. Already, such drones would be capable of dealing with rooftop problems or attackers on other buildings. Scouting and securing nearby rooftops is vital to protecting ground-based police officers from dreaded “air mail” from suspects or hostile groups, and an AVATAR would be able to assist with this without interfering with normal function.

Catching projectiles mid-flight would be an option developed through collaboration with government officials. This potential, especially when achieved through the cooperation of multiple AVATAR buildings, could evolve into a defense for the whole urban area. The problem is mostly one of engineering. The math, which is already known, would pose no difficulty for the AVATARs involved.

Specific responses upon an airborne intercept would depend heavily on specific factors, including the characteristics of the surrounding area, normal air traffic conditions, and the nature of the projectile being intercepted. Options include diversion, harassment, electromagnetically interfering with onboard controls, or even collision ensuring mutual destruction of the drone and projectile.

The airliner security issue continues to linger like a cloud of blue smoke left by a long-departed truck. While it is highly unlikely that any hijacking attempt will ever again succeed through crew and passenger resistance and the lopsided numbers that implies, this is one threat to our urban centers that is easily and securely removed.

The types of aircraft capable of doing critical damage to tall buildings and the manufacturers that make them are surprisingly small in number. Also, constantly rising standards and shrinking margins for error has sparked the development and deployment of increasingly sophisticated controls for these aircraft. Now, under normal conditions, the plane largely flies itself.

Within these controls is the potential for a security feature. A small, virus-sized bit of embedded computer code, when remotely activated, will override the pilot controls entirely, allowing ground-based forces to land the plane. With this capability, another security concern arises, one that can be controlled by limiting access to the codes that will remotely activate the viruses. The fewer humans who know, the fewer possible security holes there will be. The absolute minimum is only those technicians who create and install the codes. The codes themselves would be given to the AVATARs, whose databases are off the network.

Upon detection of a threat or other anomalous behavior, such as disabling of a transponder or serious departure off course, aviation officials or the Department of Homeland Security would notify the nearest AVATAR with the plane’s identifying information. The AVATAR would broadcast its code, activating the virus. The AVATAR could then assist aviation authorities in landing the plane safely.

Another, perhaps more controversial option, would be to arm the AVATARs themselves with roof-based defenses. The general public may be concerned with this at first, but once they are familiar with AVATARs and their behavior they will be likely to choose this as the best of multiple options.

Laser technology would be a good fit for an AVATAR. It is without ammunition supply concerns, environmental exposure limits, or the need to keep explosives or combustibles on the roof. Energy level and intensity would be fully controllable, allowing the AVATAR to react precisely to what a situation requires. There would be more of an opportunity to avoid catastrophic or collateral damage. Regular tests and demonstrations of this AVATAR capacity will not only give the AVATAR opportunities to hone its skills but also produce a tremendous deterrent effect.

If this option is proven effective, it could be offered to owners of AVATAR buildings at no cost with much less strain on our government’s budget than a typical new military weapons system.

The AVATAR is not intended to be a General Artificial Intelligence (AGI) but, given enough time, a rich environment, and plenty of experience, it will begin to act like one. The drive of the AVATAR to learn, adapt, and improve the conditions for its tenants will create a broad base for development, and its considerable distributed processing power will be fertile ground in which it can grow.

A hierarchically organized array of interlocking modules, operating along both zonal and functional lines, powered by neural-network adaptive algorithms and enhanced by a database, forms the core of the AVATAR’s intelligence.

Constant communication of relevant data among the various software and hardware modules allows the AVATAR awareness of its environment without it getting bogged down with processor-intensive details, like camera image analysis, which are handled by the secondary computers. Low data volume local condition readings like air quality measurements and changes in foot traffic (a likely precursor to spikes in elevator demand) can be sent in packets and swiftly matched with reports from centralized building systems. This “background” internal communication will occur autonomously without conscious intervention from the AVATAR, likening it to reflexive or instinctive behavior in biological life. Such a feature will exist primarily to increase reliability of vital systems, especially the fire safety system, so some level of critical functioning will exist no matter what the condition of the AVATAR or its secondary computers.

The secondary computers will also be charged with the bulk of helpful but otherwise low-priority tasks like generating the AVATAR’s animated icon on the communications terminal screens and providing the voice-interface.

This balanced setup in this particular demanding environment provides the right mix of flexibility and structure that promotes learning. There is flexibility in terms of using the hardware, software, and data resources at the AVATAR’s disposal. The AVATAR has the option of ordering the tasks in a given priority level, of focusing on certain areas or on specific systems. The structure comes in with the hierarchy of goals to which the AVATAR strives to meet. Maximizing efficiency and positive owner and tenant feedback, minimizing down time and complaints, these are all goals to which can be quantified and reached for. Speeding response times to various requests, from high-priority “stuck in an elevator” or occupant injury calls to lower priority tourist queries or a tenant seeking to schedule a conference room, is a goal with multiple yet logical layers to it. Superimposed on all of the above are the overarching, yet still-quantifiable ultimate high-priority goals of maximizing tenant safety and minimizing damage to itself during an emergency situation.

The actual means of improving performance will be training and experience. Since nobody has sufficient foresight to program an AI for all responses to all situations (nobody can even imagine every possible situation), a more abstract and generalized period of instruction will be required. Training will provide the AVATAR with the framework for understanding and projecting how the actions it may take would impact upon meeting its goals. Training would eventually progress to developing basic strategies to cope with multiple interlocking goals and to manage resources to preserve maximum readiness and flexibility. With proper planning by the trainers, this period would become merely an extension of normal commissioning, with the AVATAR quickly adapting to its particular environment and even aiding in the later stages of its own commissioning.

Experience presents the AVATAR with the knowledge to refine incrementally its operations for improved performance. It will also afford the opportunity for the AVATAR to develop, analyze, and self-test new strategies that may not have been foreseen in the initial training. Feedback on new approaches and current performance, first from the building’s managers and maintainers, and then from tenants, will provide more data for the AVATAR’s self-evaluation.

If there are other AVATARS in the local area, they will eventually reach out to and assist each other. This cooperative method ensures rapid and successful development at minimal cost. As development progresses, the value of the system to all stakeholders will increase. It will transition smoothly through incremental upgrades, performing better throughout the life of the building.

Even with recent events, there was never any real reason to stop reaching for the stars. With Project AVATAR and the technological kin it will inspire, we act to obliterate every last doubt.

Setting aside for the moment the national security risk our dependence on foreign oil poses and the harm the excess emissions of greenhouse gasses its use causes, the thoughtful American will realize how important our investment in renewed, better cities is.

Lengthening automobile commutes and the increasing distances one must traverse for the necessities of life not only gobble quality time but also place one’s safety at extreme risk. One cannot point the finger at terrorists and ignore the daily traffic death toll and retain one’s intellectual honesty. Imprisoning oneself in a four-wheeled box for hours a day is not good for one’s health. The sheer amount of land required to support this unhealthy design is at direct odds with preservation of open space needed for nearly every other species on this Earth to survive. More and more people are joining the fight to preserve open space as well, realizing the link to their own health and the buffer nature provides against exhaust-tainted air.

Our future lies not in suburban sprawl, but in building tall. We can act to maximize efficiency in our cities, and minimize the human footprint on the environment while still leaving vast tracts open for recreation. We will have more time available for that recreation when all that separates us from our employers and daily supplies is a short walk or subway ride. What we should fear is not the heights we can reach, but what our lives are truly doing to us and to the world around us.

We cannot and should not sanitize reality. We are made stronger by facing it and developing strategies that take it head on. This is the message Project AVATAR seeks to bring forth. We are all dreamers. Let us live in the clouds and live better than before.