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back to article 5,000 robots to build 3D map of the universe

Five thousand robots will get busy creating a 3D map of millions of galaxies in 2019. The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has received US Department of Energy (DoE) approval to move from the design phase to construction, which will start next year. That includes building the 5,000 10 cm-long, finger-width robots …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    5,000 10 cm-long, finger-width robots

    There really should have been a "5,000 fingerbots of Dr T" joke somewhere in this article.

    /predicts imminent death of El Reg, & etc

    3 0 Reply
  2. Sleep deprived
    Holmes

    "lenses [...], which are ready to get a coating to improve their transparency"

    A coating that improves transparency? That's pretty counter-intuitive.

    1 0 Reply
    1. cray74
      Reply Icon

      Re: "lenses [...], which are ready to get a coating to improve their transparency"

      A coating that improves transparency? That's pretty counter-intuitive.

      Counter-intuitive, but also everyday work for anti-reflection coatings. While the military likes AR coatings for, say, eliminating reflections that give your position away to The Bad Guys, the coatings also serve to reduce losses due to reflections. After all, light reflected from your lenses is light not transmitted through your lenses.

      The font of all knowledge explains more.

      6 0 Reply
  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Scale

    Drats! Misread the title.

    I thought robots were going to be building a 1:1 scale 3D map of the universe.

    4 0 Reply
    1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken
      Reply Icon

      Re: Scale

      For all we know, they already did... and we're in it...

      2 0 Reply
    2. ravenviz Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Scale

      Well, in VR that is possible!

      0 0 Reply

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