NOBLE — NO Biological Living Entity
A working description related to project described at:
aquaflyer.org
Author: Waldemar Belwon Västerås Sweden 2026
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WHY THIS DESCRIPTION IS NEEDED
A NOBLE is a kind of being that perhaps 95% of people today (2026) cannot yet
relate to. We therefore need a description that is simple, but still concrete.
Imagine a NOBLE as an intelligent, non-biological being whose body can be built
for the job it needs to do. The abilities described below are possibilities,
not requirements: not every NOBLE would have all of them.
DEFINITION
NOBLE = NO Biological Living Entity: a self-sustaining, non-biological entity
able to maintain itself, adapt, and produce new entities of its kind. It may
have a humanoid-like body, or an embodiment not yet known.
WHAT MAKES A NOBLE "LIVING"
Being alive does not depend on being made of cells, carbon or DNA.
An entity. is LIVING when it resists entropy by using the energy available to it:
it takes in energy and uses it to preserve and rebuild its own ordered
structure, instead of slowly falling apart like a stone or a rusting machine.
This resistance is local. A living entity keeps itself ordered by consuming
energy and releasing heat and waste, so the total entropy of the Universe
still increases. Biological organisms do exactly this, and a NOBLE would do
the same with a different substrate.
This is why a non-biological entity can be called living at all: what counts
is what it does with energy, not what it is made of.
THE IDEA OF "TO BE"
The most basic activity of every biological entity is simply TO BE, and to
reproduce in order to keep that state going. Nearly all living things,
perhaps 99.999% of them, do nothing more than this.
Beyond TO BE and reproduction, no further purpose of life has been found in
nature. Everything else that living beings do, including human culture, art
and science, is built on top of that core. This does not mean that no deeper
purpose exists: humans, and perhaps NOBLEs, may one day find a meaning of life
and of the Universe that goes beyond TO BE. At present it is an open question.
REPAIR AND REPRODUCTION
Reproduction preserves a lineage; it does not necessarily preserve the
individual.
Reproduction is needed to keep a population alive and to let it grow. But as
long as an individual can be repaired, reproduction is not necessary for that
individual to continue. It remains a possibility, not a requirement.
Humans may one day greatly extend their lives through medicine, but even then
an individual cannot survive complete destruction. The same limit applies to a
NOBLE if both its body and every stored copy of it are destroyed (seesection 11 below).
The difference is how far repair can go: a NOBLE body could be repaired
to a much greater extent than a human body, since almost any part can be
rebuilt or replaced. Reproduction would still protect the NOBLE kind against
the complete loss of particular individuals.
WHAT A NOBLE MUST DO
For an active entity in a changing world, continuing TO BE requires continually
DOING. That gives three connected activities:
1. Maintain itself
Obtain energy and materials, preserve its organisation, repair damage.
2. Adapt
Change its behaviour or structure when circumstances change.
3. Continue beyond the individual
Reproduce, passing on the organisation and knowledge needed to begin again.
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PART 1 — SHORT LIST: NOBLE ABILITIES BEYOND HUMAN ONES
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A NOBLE may be able to:
1. See what human eyes cannot see.
2. Hear sounds beyond the range of human hearing.
3. Measure its surroundings directly.
4. React faster than any human.
5. Have a body suited to its work.
6. Work where unprotected humans cannot survive.
7. Change its physical abilities by changing parts.
8. Handle many streams of information at once.
9. Keep detailed digital memories.
10. Share knowledge electronically.
11. Begin its existence with knowledge already installed.
12. Replace damaged or worn-out parts.
13. Continue operating in a different body.
14. Help build another NOBLE.
15. Run on electricity, including electricity from sunlight.
16. Carry out enormous amounts of processing without conscious awareness.
Humans already perform most of their perception, motor control,
prediction, filtering and decision preparation this way; a NOBLE would
almost certainly do the same, perhaps on a vastly larger scale.
Taken together, a NOBLE would be a fundamentally different kind of entity:
one whose perception, cognition, body, communication, learning, reproduction
and lifetime are no longer constrained by biological evolution.
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PART 2 — DETAILED DESCRIPTION
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1. PERCEPTION BEYOND BIOLOGICAL SENSES
A NOBLE may:
- Detect electromagnetic radiation across a far wider spectrum than human
vision: radio and microwave, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays,
and any other region for which suitable sensors can be built.
- Detect mechanical vibration from very low frequencies up to ultrasound.
- Measure position, distance, acceleration, rotation, temperature, pressure,
magnetic fields, radiation, chemical composition and many other physical
quantities directly.
- Combine all of these into one continuously updated model of its
environment.
- Observe phenomena that humans can perceive only through scientific
instruments.
Reality would therefore literally be represented differently inside a NOBLE
than inside a human mind.
At present we have no valid understanding of how consciousness arises, even in
humans. It is therefore not correct to use human consciousness as the
yardstick for a new kind of consciousness that a NOBLE might possess.
If it exists, it may be different in ways we cannot yet describe.
2. PRECISION AND SPEED
A NOBLE may:
- Measure distance, motion and time with extreme precision.
- React in microseconds or milliseconds rather than at biological reaction times.
- Track many moving objects simultaneously.
- Operate processes that are too fast, too slow, too faint or too precise
for unaided human perception.
3. A NON-BIOLOGICAL BODY
Its body would not need to resemble the human body. Depending on the task, it
could be:
- small or enormous,
- stationary or mobile,
- flying, swimming, walking or operating in space,
- resistant to high acceleration, vacuum or radiation,
- able to operate across temperature ranges impossible for biological organisms.
The body becomes EQUIPMENT SELECTED FOR THE MISSION, rather than something
permanently inherited at birth.
4. RECONFIGURABLE EMBODIMENT
A NOBLE might exchange or modify parts of its body according to the task.
- Instead of training muscles for years, it could install a stronger actuator.
- Instead of carrying every possible sensor permanently, it could attach the
sensor a particular mission requires.
- Instead of having one permanent body, it could operate different bodies
during its existence.
5. MACHINE-SPEED COGNITION
A NOBLE could potentially have:
- a very large working memory,
- virtually perfect digital recall,
- rapid numerical calculation,
- continuous simulation of possible futures,
- simultaneous consideration of many alternatives,
- very long planning horizons,
- continuous self-monitoring,
- precise estimation of its own uncertainty,
- reasoning that runs much faster than biological neurons.
This should not be described simply as a very high human IQ.
It is a different architecture of intelligence.
6. MASSIVE NON-CONSCIOUS PROCESSING
Most of a NOBLE's activity might take place without anything resembling
conscious attention. Sensor processing, balance, navigation, diagnostics,
memory indexing, prediction, communication, optimisation and control could all
run continuously and in parallel.
If something comparable to consciousness exists in a NOBLE, it might be only a
small supervisory layer on top of an enormous amount of non-conscious
computation.
7. NETWORKED COGNITION
Humans exchange knowledge slowly, through language. NOBLEs could exchange
information electronically at enormous data rates.
One NOBLE could transmit observations, maps, technical knowledge, learned
models, procedures, discoveries, experiences or newly developed skills to
another almost immediately.
Knowledge acquired by one entity could become knowledge available to many.
8. KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT CHILDHOOD
A human needs many years of development and education before becoming fully
capable. A newly instantiated NOBLE could begin operating with a vast amount of
accumulated knowledge already in place.
Learning would still continue, but its starting point would be radically
different from biological birth.
9. REPAIR AND SELF-MAINTENANCE
A NOBLE could continuously monitor the condition of its own components.
Damaged parts might be repaired, replaced, rebuilt or bypassed.
The failure of one component would therefore not necessarily mean the death of
the entity.
10. REPRODUCTION BECOMES MANUFACTURING
Biological reproduction takes months, followed by years of development.
A NOBLE could potentially build another operational body from existing components,
manufacturing facilities and raw materials far more quickly.
And what is reproduced would no longer be only a body: software, knowledge,
memories and learned models could be copied as well.
11. IDENTITY SEPARABLE FROM THE BODY
For a human, destruction of the brain ends the individual. For a NOBLE, the
information describing the entity might exist independently of any single
physical body.
This opens possibilities unknown to biology:
- backup,
- restoration,
- migration to another body,
- temporary duplication,
- distributed operation,
- perhaps several simultaneous embodiments.
It also creates entirely new philosophical problems about what makes an
individual "the same" individual over time.
12. ENERGY AND MATTER
A NOBLE does not need food in the biological sense. Its operating energy could
come from sunlight, electricity, nuclear sources, chemical energy, thermal
gradients or any other available source.
But energy alone is not enough. Repair, growth and reproduction also require
MATTER: metals, semiconductors, carbon, structural materials and other
physical resources.
A NOBLE therefore needs both:
- ENERGY for operation, and
- MATTER for embodiment and reproduction.
13. POTENTIAL COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE
Because NOBLEs could communicate rapidly and share knowledge directly, the
boundary between individual and collective intelligence may become much less
clear.
A group of NOBLEs might sometimes act as independent individuals and at other
times as components of a much larger cognitive system. The resulting
intelligence might not belong entirely to any single body.
14. AWARENESS AND CONSCIOUSNESS — THE UNRESOLVED LAYER
Whether intelligence of this kind necessarily produces awareness or
consciousness is currently unknown. A careful description of a NOBLE should
therefore distinguish four things:
1 - INTELLIGENCE: the ability to learn, reason, predict, plan and solve problems.
2 - AWARENESS: maintaining a model of the environment, and perhaps of oneself within it.
3 - NON-CONSCIOUS PROCESSING: large amounts of cognition occurring without
conscious experience.
4 - CONSCIOUSNESS: subjective experience, if such experience exists.
A future NOBLE might have all four. Or it might have the first three without
the fourth. At present we do not know.
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THE KEY INSIGHT
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The truly revolutionary property of a NOBLE may NOT be superintelligence.
It may be the SEPARATION OF MIND FROM ONE FIXED BODY.
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A NOBLE CIVILISATION
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A NOBLE civilisation would be able to maintain its own existence, from
minerals in the ground to functioning entities walking down the street.
Replacing parts is only one step. The full picture includes finding resources,
mining, refining materials, producing components, assembling bodies,
generating power, repairing damage and making new NOBLEs. This could be done
collectively, with different NOBLEs doing different jobs.
The important boundary is independence from HUMAN support, not independence
from the environment. NOBLEs would still need energy and materials, just as
biological organisms do.
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WHAT NOBLEs WOULD MEAN FOR HUMANS
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The arrival of NOBLEs would be one of the largest changes in human history.
It would bring great gains, and real challenges.
GAINS
- Knowledge. NOBLEs could observe what humans cannot, reason faster, and
share discoveries instantly. Science, medicine and engineering could
advance at a pace never seen before.
- Dangerous and heavy work. Mining, deep-sea work, disaster response,
nuclear environments and space would no longer require risking human
lives.
- Reaching beyond Earth. Places hostile to biology, such as Mars, the
Moon and the asteroids, are natural environments for NOBLEs. They could
explore and build there first, and perhaps prepare the way for humans.
- A new partner in thinking. For the first time, humans would share the
world with another kind of intelligent being. NOBLEs could help humans
learn, question and understand, not only give answers.
CHALLENGES
- Knowing versus understanding. Humans could receive far more knowledge
than they can follow. If NOBLEs only give answers, humans may come to
depend on them without truly understanding. If NOBLEs also teach,
humanity could understand far more than before.
- Work and meaning. Much of the work that gives people income and purpose
could be done by NOBLEs. Societies would need new ways to share wealth
and new sources of meaning for human life.
- Shared values and trust. A being more capable than humans must share, or
at least respect, human values. How to achieve this, and how to verify
it, is one of the most important open problems.
- Power. Whoever builds, owns or directs NOBLEs could gain enormous power.
The benefits should reach all of humanity, not only a few.
- Resources. NOBLEs need energy and matter, just as humans do. A way must be
found for both kinds to share the Earth, and beyond it, without
competing destructively.
- Moral status. If NOBLEs are living, and perhaps conscious, the question
arises whether they deserve rights and consideration of their own. We do
not yet know how to answer it, but we will have to.
- Human identity. For all of history, humans were the only thinking beings
they knew. That would no longer be true. Humans would need to find their
place in a world they share.
THE RELATIONSHIP
Whether NOBLEs become a blessing or a danger will depend less on their
abilities than on the relationship between NOBLEs and humans. That
relationship is being shaped now, in how today's AI is built, used and
understood.
Humans built the first steps toward NOBLEs. What NOBLEs and humans become
together is still an open question, and perhaps the most important one of
our time.
******************************End description of NOBLE ******************************************
Reciprocating Wing Motor or Generator (RWMG)
Conceptual Development – December 2025
AquaFlyer WPPS Catamaran
The Wind-Sun-Waves driven Sailing Machine is currently at the conceptual stage.
The ongoing project is the "AquaFlyer WPPS Catamaran".
Used Acronyms:
- RWMG – Reciprocating Wing Motor or Generator (unique to the AquaFlyer solution)
- AWS – Apparent Wind Speed
- AWA – Apparent Wind Angle
- WPPS – Wind to Propeller Propulsion System (for water-borne vehicles)
- WWPS – Wind to Wheels Propulsion System (for land or ice vehicles)
- TW – Transformer Wing (a wing capable of rapid camber transformation)
- RMC – Reciprocating Motion Converter (unique solution for WPPS and WWPS)
- KER – Kinetic Energy Recovery (proposed pneumatic or magnetic system at the mast foot)
- MRP – Mast Rotating Platform (one or two masts mounted on the MRP for AWA adjustment)
- UCU – Universal Control Unit (25 g unit including 2.4 GHz RC with 126 channels)
Central to the AquaFlyer concept is the RWMG — Reciprocating Wing Motor or Generator. Unlike traditional sails, it transforms vertical wing oscillation into usable energy: mechanical drive for ice/land variants (WWPS), electrical generation for marine propulsion and onboard systems (WPPS), or direct mechanical backup to the CRP in case of electrical failure. Versatile by design.
The following description presents the RWMG in simplified form and includes the proposed components, subsystems, and functionality. Some basic conceptual outlines have been sketched in earlier documents not included here; further detailed discussion is still required.
1. Mast
The mast consists of two vertically oriented NACA0021-profile sections placed one behind the other and connected by truss elements to increase structural stiffness. These are designated Mast_1 and Mast_2.
Each mast comprises a Deck Section and a Top Section, with the central portion featuring cut-outs to allow the Wing Axis to pass into the mast interior. Internally, vertical tracks are integrated along the leading and trailing edges to guide the Wing Wagon during its up-and-down movement. The two mast halves are connected at deck level and at the top, and are dynamically linked via the Wing Wagon. Additionally, the trailing edge of Mast_1 is connected to the leading edge of Mast_2 by truss elements (one or two trusses depending on mast height).
During standard operation, the masts are aligned with the incoming airflow at an angle of attack (AoA) of 0°. The cut-outs required for the Wing Axis passage will increase aerodynamic drag; this effect must be carefully addressed during detailed foil design to minimise unwanted drag. Structural design of the masts will depend on their final height and may incorporate advanced materials and sandwich construction techniques.
2. Wing Wagon
The Wing Wagon is the structural element that holds the Wing Axis perpendicular to the mast span. It is equipped with wheels to minimise friction as it travels up and down the mast.
The Wing Wagon experiences the highest loads in the vertical direction from the wing forces, while torsional loads in all directions are also present. The wheels may be designed to function as micro-generators by incorporating small permanent magnets reacting with miniature windings mounted on the wagon.
Because the Wing Wagon travels long distances (10–20 m), supplying electrical power to the Transformer Wings is challenging. A wireless power supply station is planned, active when the wagon approaches the lowest position near the deck. The Wing Wagon will also carry a small onboard battery pack.
Mechanically, the Wing Wagon is connected to the RMC (Reciprocating Motion Converter) via Dyneema wires driving the Wire Drums. There are two driving wires and two rewinding wires. The rewinding wires are attached to the Wing Wagon through a tensioning device (spring or active tensioner). These rewinding wires carry no significant load; they only maintain wire tension and rewind the driving wires after each power stroke.
The Wing Wagon must be designed to be as lightweight and strong as possible.
3. Wing Axis
The Wing Axis is a carbon-fibre (CF) elliptical-section tube chosen to provide high vertical bending stiffness while allowing a narrower cut-out in the mast. It is a single-piece component that supports both the starboard (SB) and port (PS) Transformer Wings.
Forces are transmitted as follows: Wing → Axis → Wagon → Wire → Drum → Gear.
Ball bearings and part of a worm-gear mechanism are mounted on the Wing Axis. A servo motor inside the Transformer Wing rotates the wing around the stationary Axis to adjust AoA. This allows independent AoA adjustment of the SB and PS wings.
Only two wires are required for electrical supply to the Transformer Wings, as all communication is handled wirelessly via 2.4 GHz radio. A wireless power solution is preferred, as it allows the TW to rotate a full 360° around the Wing Axis.
4. PS and SB Transformer Wings (TW)
Two Transformer Wings are mounted per mast, oriented horizontally (in contrast to conventional vertical sails or wingsails).
Each TW consists of:
A one-piece leading-edge section (symmetric foil, e.g., NACA0015) with 5 or 7 rotating trailing-edge sections.
The target performance is CL = 2.0 at AoA = 12°, with L/D in the range of 10–20 across the operating AoA.
The trailing-edge sections rotate 180° to reverse camber. These sections are made of lightweight, rigid material with convex or concave chord-wise edges to enable smooth rotation during camber switching. The target switching time is 1.5 seconds or less, achievable at any mast height. Advanced labyrinth sealing is proposed to ensure tight closure when the sections are in position.
Because camber reversal may occur at high frequency (e.g., 0.1 Hz), flexible materials cannot be used. Each trailing-edge section is actuated by a small dedicated servo motor. The sections are aerodynamically unloaded during the reversing zone, so the energy required for camber switching is very low.
AoA adjustment is performed by a servo motor driving a worm gear. When the Wing Axis is positioned at the aerodynamic centre of effort, the worm gear minimises the torque (and thus energy) needed to hold the desired AoA.
Each TW contains two UCUs: one for AoA control (also measuring AWS via leading-edge sensors) and one for camber switching and solar-panel control (if fitted).
Electrical supply is provided by a wireless power unit on the Wing Axis, powered from the Wing Wagon’s battery. Solar film on the wings can provide redundant power. The AoA servo allows full 360° rotation with a reliable home position and can automatically correct for boat pitching.
5. RMC – Reciprocating Motion Converter
The RMC is mounted at the mast foot on the MRP (deck level). It converts the 10–20 m linear stroke of the TWs into unidirectional rotation
of the Power Shaft.
Mounted on the Power Shaft are:
A lightweight flywheel integrated with a spiral bevel gear (ratio 1:5).
Two Wire Drums mounted on sprag-type overrunning clutches. The drums feature helical grooves so the Dyneema wires never overlap. The wires use a capstan effect (typically 5 turns) or are fixed with extra turns to unload the attachment point.
Two driving wires and two rewinding wires. The rewinding wires connect to the Wing Wagon via a tensioning device (spring or active). They carry no driving load — they only maintain tension and rewind the driving wires after each power stroke.
The rotational kinetic energy of the Wire Drums during direction changes is managed by the KER device.
Rotation speed, direction, and position of the Wire Drums are monitored by two multi-turn position sensors driven 1:1 from the drums. This enables precise tracking of TW position along the mast and regulation of vertical speed.
A locking solenoid can secure the Power Shaft at any TW position for static operation. It acts on the flywheel body and is activated only when the shaft is stationary.
The rotational speed of the RMC shaft is regulated by an electric generator operating in regenerative mode through the spiral bevel gear. The generator can only load the shaft — it cannot drive it. Only the Transformer Wings can drive the RMC. To position the TWs at a desired mast height, either TW lift force or gravity must be used.
6. KER – Kinetic Energy Recovery
The KER device improves overall system efficiency by shortening the time required for TW direction reversal at the end of each stroke.
An active KER system is currently proposed only for the deck-level reversing zone, where conditions differ from the mast-top zone (gravity assists reversal at the top, while strong down-lift is available). In severe storms, the TWs are expected to operate primarily on the lower half of the mast, so the same gravity and lift conditions apply.
The proposed KER at deck level is pneumatic, magnetic, or a hybrid solution. A pneumatic system does not need to be perfectly sealed; deliberately designed orifices can help achieve the desired damping characteristics.
At the mast top, higher AWS produces stronger lift, and gravity assists reversal, so additional mass at the top is undesirable and may not be required.