23 Aug, 2012, 03.34PM IST, PTI
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Read more on »Universe|SkyMapper|nobel prize|milky way|International Astronomical Union|dark energy|Brian P Schmidt
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Eagerly searching for life signals in the universe, human beings -- if still existing -- will feel lonelier in a dark universe in 100 billion years.
Eagerly searching for life signals in the universe, human beings -- if still existing -- will feel lonelier in a dark universe in 100 billion years.
BEIJING: Renowned astronomer and Nobel Prize laureate Brian P Schmidt predicted a "dark" future for the universe which he says will eventually fade away throwing astronomers out of work.
"Human beings will look to an empty universe in 100 billion years, as all the galaxies will fade away except the Milky Way we live in," Schmidt, who is attending the 28th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) being held here, said.
Schmidt shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics with Saul Perlmutter and Adam Riess for providing evidence that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.
Before their discoveries, it was commonly thought that the expansion of the universe was slowing down.
By monitoring the brightness and measuring the red-shift of the supernovae, Schmidt and his partners discovered that billion-year-old exploding stars and their galaxies are accelerating away from their reference frame.
Their discoveries led to research on dark energy, a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe.
"Unless dark energy suddenly disappears, that will surprise us as we can't really think of a reason why -- the universe will continue to expand more and more quickly and eventually fade away," Schmidt told Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua today.
Eagerly searching for life signals in the universe, human beings -- if still existing -- will feel lonelier in a dark universe in 100 billion years.
"Our Milky Way will still be here and merge with some nearby galaxies," Schmidt said, "but other things we see today will not be able to reach us in the future. Every galaxy beyond the Milky Way will disappear. At that time, astronomers will all be unemployed because there will be nothing to work at", he said.
When talking about dark energy, Schmidt said, "We don't know how dark energy is generated. It seems to be a part of the fabric of space itself. So dark energy makes more space, and more space makes more dark energy, which then makes more space. The universe runs away because of the stuff (process)."
Matthew Colless, Australian Astronomical Observatory director, was chairing Schmidt's speech yesterday, and when Colless put "dark energy" into an online translation tool for a Chinese version, and then translated the Chinese version back into English, it turned out to be "evil energy", the Xinhua report said.
Schmidt said the word "evil" is humorous although not a perfect description.
"I don't see it (dark energy) being evil. I see it as very bleak, just like a never-ending winter," said the astrophysicist, who has announced to continue his work on dark energy.
"Anything is possible. Dark energy can become attractive in the future. So we don't really know," he said.
Schmidt is also heading a project to build a new telescope called SkyMapper for a southern sky survey.
"The universe does what it does and I'm here to measure, not to judge," he said.
Self-Charging Batteries Powered by Vibration
Self-Charging Batteries Powered by VibrationBrother Industries has developed an AA battery sized generator powered by vibration, which can be used to charge another AA battery. Shaking your remote every once in a while could soon be all that's needed to keep it alive.
Inside the generator battery sits an "electromagnetic induction generator and an electric double layer capacitor" and although you'd have to do an impossibly vigorous amount of shaking to power a DSLR, for low-drain gadgets like remotes and LED torches a quick shuffle should dribble out enough energy for a brief spell of use. [Tech-On]
Self-Charging Batteries Powered by VibrationBrother Industries has developed an AA battery sized generator powered by vibration, which can be used to charge another AA battery. Shaking your remote every once in a while could soon be all that's needed to keep it alive.
Inside the generator battery sits an "electromagnetic induction generator and an electric double layer capacitor" and although you'd have to do an impossibly vigorous amount of shaking to power a DSLR, for low-drain gadgets like remotes and LED torches a quick shuffle should dribble out enough energy for a brief spell of use. [Tech-On]
The iPad robot that can let you go anywhere in the world - without ever leaving your living room
- Motorised arm turns an iPad into a 'virtual you'
- Makers say it can be used to attend meeting and even tour art gallerie
- By Mark Prigg
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For the frequent traveller, it could be the perfect way to attend those urgent meetings while staying at home.
The Double robot can turn your iPad into a 'virtual you' that can be sent anywhere in the world.
The $2,000 robot is described as 'the simplest, most elegant way to be somewhere else in the world without flying there'
Scroll down for video
It can move around, all controlled by your own iPad, and even adjust its height to make sure you are always at eye level.The Double robot that can let you virtually attend meeting anywhere in the world, and even let you visit art galleries.
The firm says the gadget could be used to attend meetings, meet friends for lunch, and even visit art galleries around the world.
'You can stay at eye level, whether sitting or standing, by adjusting your height remotely, which makes conversations fluid and real,' says the firm behind it.
The robot is based around a single wheel, which balances the robot as it moves, rather like a Segway.
Where you're not moving, a retractable kickstand automatically deploys to conserve power when you are not moving around.
Double Robotics, the firm behind the design, says 'Efficient motors and lightweight design give Double the ability to last all day without recharging the battery.'The robot is controlled via a second iPad, and can be driven using computer game style controls
Where you're not moving, a retractable kickstand automatically deploys to conserve power when you are not moving around.
The gadget has already proved a huge success, the firm said, with the first run already sold out.
'First off, we want to thank you all for your enthusiasm and support for Double, especially to those of you who pre-ordered,' it said in a blog post.The robot could even be sent into art galleries without ever having to visit them, with rented robots being used to give hundreds access to collections around the world.
'Because of the overwhelming response, we've already had to expand our first production run to include more robots than planned, which is great!
'However, in good conscience, we cannot continue to offer a December ship date for units placed from here forward.
'New orders placed (as of August 16th) will now be shipping in early 2013.'
The double robot can adjust its height between a sitting and standing mode to ensure you are at eye level with others.
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