HDI will build model communities to demonstrate all the best practices and appropriate technologies we have identified for solving human infrastructure challenges off-grid. These communities will be open and available for the public to come see what we have learned in action. Projects can range from building a structure to testing a new solar panel design to creating a permaculture landscape.
The special projects program will also be used to test new ideas and give them a chance to prove themselves before they are adopted by communities around the world. Every project will be documented and reported on, and use the lab data to make sure it is up to safety and efficiency standards.
The HDI special projects will be open sourced so that anyone can access them and use the prototypes and lessons learned in their own communities. This open source model will make it easier to scale up successful projects and allow communities around the world to use these solutions as the basis for their own sustainable, off-grid development. We will also host visitors at the land projects for guided tours to see all these lessons in action.
Current Special Projects
The Cyberpony Express: a hardware platform which allows off-grid communities to host a local copy of the library while also enabling local artificial intelligence for research and fact checking, as well as access to radio broadcasts of weather reports and even radio communication directly to other communities, all without needing any internet connection.
The Apocalypse Library: A vast collection of vital information in the form of local copies of tens of thousands of documents on important topics as well as an entire offline copy of wikipedia.
The Librarian: An off-grid AI which assists community members in research and fact-checking information based on the vast collection of documents in the apocalypse library, all without any internet connection.
The Lodge: the entire mission of the organization embodied in a single central structure, and echoed out in all the projects. The central pavilion or lodge is a structure providing a shared public space where visitors can take refuge from the elements and enjoy a shared kitchen and resting space safe from the harsh summer heat or bitter winter cold.
The Djedi Temple: a community space for non-proselytizing, spiritual, meditative reflection on the importance of respecting the rights and beliefs of others.
Special Project Proposals Currently Pending Approval
The Radio Telescope Interferometry Array: A simple, off-grid radio telescope interferometry array for conducting important scientific research and demonstrating its value as a key piece of off-grid infrastructure.
Nuclear Fusion Test Reactor: A working nuclear fusion test reactor which demonstrates the current and future potential of the technology as well as the infrastructure required to obtain power from nuclear fusion for an off-grid community.
The Kala Memorial Tunnel System: Because we are running lines and plumbing and conduits between the pavilions and the radio telescope elements at the four corners of the land, we need a tunnel system to contain all the infrastructure. The proposal is to name this tunnel system as a memorial to Kala the tunnel girl, including a bronze statue of Kala to greet visitors at the entrance to the tunnel system.
