DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18306045
title: PROJECT SPLITWING — PUBLIC-SAFE PATTERN EDITION A Modular, Constraint-Governed Aerial Systems Architecture

description: PROJECT SPLITWING — PUBLIC-SAFE PATTERN EDITION

A Modular, Constraint-Governed Aerial Systems Architecture

(Non-Operational • Non-Instantiable • Conceptual Only)

Author: Mark Anthony BrewerAffiliation: Immortal Tech / Brewtanius Ink LLCStatus: Public-Safe Architectural PatternVersion: v1.0 (Pattern Edition)

 

 

ABSTRACT

SPLITWING is a public-safe architectural pattern describing how modular aerial systems may be governed to remain stable, auditable, and ethically bounded under uncertainty. Rather than optimizing for peak performance, SPLITWING prioritizes constraint enforcement, layered authority, graceful degradation, and the right to stop.

This document describes design philosophy, governance structure, and safety patterns only. It does not specify propulsion systems, materials, performance parameters, control laws, tuning methods, flight procedures, or deployment concepts. SPLITWING is presented as a systems-thinking framework, suitable for research discussion, simulation ethics, and comparative architecture analysis.

 

 

PUBLIC-SAFE SCOPE & BOUNDARIES

This document intentionally includes:





system-level architectural principles




safety-first autonomy concepts




governance and authority separation




non-operational modeling metaphors




audit and verification framing



This document explicitly excludes:





build instructions or implementation guidance




operational tactics or mission logic




performance metrics, limits, or thresholds




executable control strategies




sensitive integration or manufacturing details



SPLITWING is not a vehicle design. It is a governed systems pattern.

 

 

1. DESIGN MOTIVATION

Modern aerial autonomy increasingly operates in environments defined by:





uncertainty rather than predictability




tightly coupled dynamics (energy, motion, heat, sensing)




partial sensor failure and degraded information




coordination across multiple cooperating agents



Traditional aerospace systems are built around reactive correction: detect error, apply counter-force. This paradigm works locally but degrades when autonomy, coordination, and uncertainty scale together.

SPLITWING begins from a different premise:

Stability must be structural, not emergent.Authority must be layered, not assumed.Safety must precede optimization.

The goal is not to make a system smarter, faster, or more autonomous — but to make it lawful under stress.

 

 

2. CORE ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPLES

2.1 Modularity as a Safety Primitive

SPLITWING treats modularity as a risk-containment strategy, not merely a design convenience.

Key properties:





Components are independently viable




Coupling is conditional and reversible




Separation reduces fault propagation




Recomposition is allowed only when constraints permit



Being connected is treated as an option, not a requirement.

 

 

2.2 Layered Authority (No Single Point of Power)

SPLITWING separates authority into non-overlapping layers, each with explicit permissions:





Safety Layer (Deterministic Authority)






Maintains system stability




Enforces non-negotiable constraints




Overrides unsafe actions





Validation / Guidance Layer






Evaluates proposed actions




Checks consistency with constraints




Operates within safety bounds





Mission / Commitment Layer






Handles irreversible or high-level intent




Cannot bypass lower layers




Requires explicit authorization




No layer is allowed to skip another.No optimization process is allowed to outrank safety.

 

 

2.3 Graceful Degradation Over Heroics

SPLITWING assumes:





sensors fail




signals degrade




environments change




coordination breaks



Rather than attempting perfect recovery, the system prioritizes:





conservative fallback behavior




isolation of malfunctioning components




reduction of authority under uncertainty



The system is designed to fail smaller, not to “fight through” instability.

 

 

3. CONSTRAINT-FIRST NAVIGATION (CONCEPTUAL)

SPLITWING adopts a constraint-first framing of motion and decision-making.

Instead of asking:

“How do we reach a target efficiently?”

The system asks:

“Which states remain lawful, stable, and survivable?”

In this model:





safe regions are favored by default




unsafe regions are structurally disfavored




avoidance is inherent, not reactive



This framing emphasizes prevention of unsafe states rather than last-moment correction.

Important:This is a conceptual safety model, not a control algorithm.

 

 

4. MULTI-AGENT COORDINATION WITHOUT DRIFT

Multi-agent systems can suffer from collective drift, where local errors reinforce each other. SPLITWING addresses this at the architectural level through:





bounded trust: inputs are weighted, not blindly accepted




provenance awareness: signals include context and confidence




consistency checks: local claims are compared against global constraints




topology flexibility: coordination structures may tighten or relax



When inconsistency rises, SPLITWING favors stability over consensus. Nodes may be reduced to conservative behaviors until alignment is restored.

The system prioritizes coherence with reality, not agreement among agents.

 

 

5. ENERGY, THERMAL, AND MOTION AS A SINGLE GOVERNED SPACE

SPLITWING treats energy use, heat accumulation, sensing, and motion as inseparable aspects of one governed state, rather than independent subsystems.

Key conceptual rules:





no action is free




all behavior has cost




optimization is bounded by survivability




efficiency is secondary to controllability



This avoids runaway optimization and brittle performance chasing.

No specific mechanisms are described.

 

 

6. AUTONOMY WITHOUT ABDICATION

SPLITWING explicitly rejects:





self-authorizing autonomy




open-ended learning without bounds




systems that cannot explain or halt themselves



Autonomy is permitted only as advisory or bounded assistance. Deterministic enforcement layers retain final authority.

The system may recommend.It may not decide alone.

 

 

7. THE “RIGHT TO STOP”

A foundational SPLITWING principle is:

Any system that cannot safely stop is unsafe to run.

Because aerial systems cannot pause mid-air, “stop” is defined as entering a lawful fail-safe state, appropriate to the platform class.

The architecture emphasizes:





conservative fallback behaviors




isolation of faults




suppression of corrupted data propagation




audit logging of safety interventions



Stopping is treated as a success condition, not a failure.

 

 

8. NON-PROLIFERATION & RESPONSIBLE DISCLOSURE

SPLITWING is intentionally documented as a pattern, not an implementation.

The purpose is to:





advance public understanding of safety-governed autonomy




enable ethical review and architectural comparison




prevent accidental weaponization or misuse



This document does not enable construction, deployment, or operational use.

 

 

9. CONCLUSION

SPLITWING represents a shift away from performance-first aerospace thinking toward constraint-first system design.

It reframes aerial systems as:





governed entities rather than autonomous actors




participants in bounded decision spaces




structures that remain lawful under stress



SPLITWING does not optimize for dominance.It optimizes for continued viability.

This pattern is not about flying better.It is about ensuring that when flight occurs, it remains compatible with safety, governance, and reality.

“A constraint-governed architectural pattern for modular aerial systems operating under uncertainty.”