Tech news, after all, usually revolves around innovative electronic devices or cutting-edge advances. However, a recent report reveals a project that transcends the counting of hours and delves into the fabric of humanity’s time: the 10,000-year clock, a monumental undertaking funded by Jeff Bezos, the mogul behind Amazon and Blue Origin.
Understand more: How to leave a SCHEDULED MESSAGE on WhatsApp on Android phones
Highlights:
- 150-meter-high automaton will mark not just hours, but years, centuries and millennia.
- A project inspired by MIT professor Danny Hill's dream since 1989 comes to life after significant investment from Bezos.
- Jeff Bezos contributes US$1.42 million to build a definitive version of the watch.
It's not just about measuring everyday time
The idea is to create a machine capable of telling the story of civilization over the next hundred centuries. The concept of this watch differs drastically from traditional watches or advanced smartwatches on the market.
This project, more philosophical than pragmatic, had its embryo in the dreams of Danny Hill, a professor at MIT, back in 1989. Although a prototype was completed in 1995 and is currently on display at the Science Museum in London, it was Jeff Bezos' interest that transformed it into something grand. With an investment of US$1,42 million, the definitive clock is taking shape, presenting itself as a colossal machine 150 meters high, designed to operate autonomously for the next 10 thousand years.
In practical terms, this machine uses a mechanically implemented binary digital logic system, instead of chips, establishing itself as an automaton based on sequences of stacked binary adders. This provides 32-bit precision, with each bit being represented by a mechanical lever.
See also: Learn How to Make Voice and Video Calls on X Using Your Cell Phone
The choice of location for this construction is as intriguing as the project itself
Jeff Bezos has donated part of his property in Sierra Diablo, Texas, the area that houses Blue Origin’s test site. According to Bezos, the selection of this remote location, approximately 150 miles from the nearest airport, was intentional. He revealed in an interview with Lex Fridman’s podcast that the choice was not only to protect the clock, but also to give it a mystical quality, requiring a pilgrimage to witness it.
The clock installation involves a cavity almost four meters in diameter, although excavated in the limestone of the mountain, where the colossal machinery is housed. 5-ton counterweights and 2.5-meter gears make up part of the equipment.
To ensure its longevity, the materials used in its construction consist primarily of titanium and stainless steel, while the bearings are made of dry ceramic. A huge dome of high-strength sapphire crystal will cover the cavity, providing thermal energy and synchronizing the clock with solar noon, allowing it to operate autonomously for centuries.
This is not just a colossal clock; it is a statement about humanity’s permanence in time. A monument not only to the past but also to the future, outlining the records and milestones of generations to come, surely all thanks to the vision and investment of Jeff Bezos.
Read now: Amazon DISCONTINUES LIVE MUSIC APP? FIND OUT THE REASONS
