Abstract
Mohala, a City in Bloom
The city of Mohala, which in Hawaiian means “to bloom”, is located at the base of the Ko’olau Mountains on the southeastern bays of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. It’s the year 2140, and Mohala’s 1,029,000 citizens are celebrating the city’s centennial birthday.
Mohala began as a suburb of Honolulu in 2040. It is a planned city with a comprehensive growth strategy. Residential, commercial, and industrial zones are efficiently located. Multi-zoned high-rises minimize travel congestion by allowing people to live, work, shop, and play within single buildings. Potable water is supplied by offshore desalination plants. Waste management needs are met through extensive recycling programs. Efficient transportation options, including all-electric maglev trains and Automated Electric Vehicles (AEV), are integrated into the city’s transportation infrastructure.
Clean renewable energy sources (wind, water, and sun) meet all Mohala’s energy needs. Wind farms harness the offshore trade winds. Water turbines utilize the flowing Blue River. Solar film imbedded into our roadways and buildings capture the energy of the sun. Mohala generates more energy than it consumes. Excess energy is sold to neighboring communities, helping to keep taxes low.
Mohala relies on its aeroport and seaport to transport people and goods between Oahu and the world. The aeroport is a state-of-the-art transportation complex with numerous shopping and entertainment venues for travelers. Runways are not necessary since aerotransports takeoff and land vertically, minimizing land needs. This allows the aeroport to be conveniently located in the city’s center. The seaport inexpensively and efficiently imports and exports large quantities of food, materials, and technology. Nanochips produced in the nanochip fabrication plant are a main export.
The City Center Government and Services Complex manages all distributed public services such as government, schools, libraries, hospitals, parks, commerce, police, and fire. The complex also houses the Universal Laser Network (ULN), an advanced communication system that is fully integrated into the city’s infrastructure. The ULN manages all citywide voice and data communications using laser technology, remote sensors, and orbiting satellites. The ULN transmits and receives data from the citywide Real-time Nanosensor Network (RNN) which continuously monitors and actuates responses to conditions throughout the city.
Oahu translates to “The Gathering Place”, which closely relates to the important areas of education and tourism in Mohala. At the heart of the city’s diverse education network is the Mohala Institute of Technology, a research university offering advanced degrees in engineering, nanotechnology, photonics, genetics, and aeronautics. Mohala Tech is home of the national champion Islanders football team. In addition to education, Mohala provides many other cultural, historical, and metropolitan activities. These include museums, lighthouses, shopping centers, restaurants, entertainment complexes, sports stadiums, a science center, and an indoor water park. From white sandy beaches and sparkling blue Pacific Ocean views, to fine dining and 5 star hotels, Mohala has it all.
Whether living here or visiting here, Mohala is a modern, safe, family oriented city where new experiences, breathtaking views, and friendly faces await you. Mohala truly is a place “to gather and bloom”.
Essay
Keeping Our Future City’s Infrastructure Healthy:
Using Nanotechnology to Monitor City Structures and Systems
The city of Mohala is located in the beautiful state of Hawaii at the base of the Ko’olau Mountains on the south eastern bays of the island of Oahu. Mohala is surrounded by mountains and the Pacific Ocean. While the ocean is a vital part of our tourism (miles of shoreline), energy (harnessing the offshore trade winds), shipping, and transportation needs; inland transportation remains a critical component of our city’s infrastructure. Our economy depends on our ability to efficiently and safely move people, goods, and services. Mohala in Hawaiian means “to bloom” and true to the name of our city, our transportation infrastructure is in full bloom. It is critical that our residents and businesses travel efficiently and safely every day, so maintaining and ensuring the safety of our transportation grid is a high priority.
Our roadways are not only used to move people, goods, and services, but in combination with our offshore wind farms they also provide much of the energy used by our city. Our roadways include a layer of flexible, organic (carbon and hydrogen), high efficiency (30%), thin (100 nanometers), solar film that harnesses the sun’s energy and converts it into electricity that is distributed by an electronics layer that runs beneath the solar film. The solar film is coated with a nanoparticle solution that provides the necessary combination of hardness, light distribution, and magnetic alignment characteristics that make our multipurpose roadway networks possible.
To achieve the necessary surface characteristics, Mohala roadways are “painted” with a crystalsand nanotechnology material. An advantage of this nanotechnology is that it is highly resistant to wearing down over time. It is about 300% harder than traditional materials such as asphalt or concrete, allowing it to last up to 5 times longer. Other crystalsand advantages allow sunlight to reach the solar film and eliminate glare by absorbing the ultraviolet light and reflecting it back down onto the solar film. To minimize the effects of a potentially slippery surface due to rainfall or fluid spills, the nanoparticles covering the roadway surface can be realigned from a distributed horizontal orientation to a stacked vertical orientation. By re-orienting the nanoparticles, the roadway surface changes from a very smooth surface, to a surface containing billions of nanospikes. Nanospikes reduce accidents by increasing the coefficient of friction, improving the traction and maneuverability of vehicles and pedestrians using the roadways.
The dynamic characteristics of the nanomaterial are triggered when moisture sensors embedded into the roadway surface sense rain or other surface moisture. Each distributed sensor monitors a 1 ft2 area for moisture and actuates an electromagnetic signal. This magnetizes the area, causing the nanoparticles to repel and realign. The sensors and electromagnetic signal are powered using The dynamic characteristics of the nanomaterial are triggered when moisture sensors embedded into the roadway surface sense rain or other surface moisture. Each distributed sensor monitors a 1 ft2 area for moisture and actuates an electromagnetic signal. This magnetizes the area, causing the nanoparticles to repel and realign. The sensors and electromagnetic signal are powered using electricity that is generated by the solar film. In addition to activating the nanospikes, the actuators also send signals through particle wave nanotechnology (the exchange of electrons and information through particles and waves without wires) to activate appropriate road safety signs such as “Reduce Speed”, or “Rain Ahead 3 Miles”. This same nanotechnology is utilized by our Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) sensors that communicate with one another to actuate Variable Message Signs (VMS) to display traffic messages such as “Road Closed” or “Heavy Traffic 5 Miles Ahead”.
While very durable, the crystalsand layer can wear down over time exposing the solar film beneath and causing it to fail. Electrical Engineers have incorporated Nano-Electromechanical System (NEMS) sensors into the solar film layer to identify areas where the crystalsand layer has worn to less than 5mm. When the NEMS sensors detect a worn surface layer, they actuate nanospray heads that apply additional crystalsand solution, “repaving” the worn area back to a thickness of 10mm.
Our nanotechnology systems automatically and immediately treat problems by initiating self-repair. This eliminates human error and the need for disruptive road closings. At City Center, Civil Engineers review transmitted sensor and ITS data to determine if manual actions are necessary. They also monitor long term roadway health. Materials Engineers and Nanotechnologists are continuously evaluating new nanomaterials to improve roadway lifespan and durability. By incorporating state of the art nanotechnologies such as crystalsand, we are ensuring that Mohala’s transportation and energy infrastructures continue to bloom.
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