4 replies to this topic

[A941]

Are we currently able to build mehanic machines/electronic devices which could work for millenias or longer?

[firespin]

Do you mean machines lasting without any repairs? If so, then going by our current machine technology I would say no. We will need more scientific knowledge and better materials to build machines that last thousands of years.

Edited by firespin, 30 November 2010 - 05:13 AM.

[b0gger]

Yet we know it's possible , we could learn it from biology. There are trees, that live 10 000 years and many more.

Edited by b0gger, 30 November 2010 - 07:34 PM.

[Ellipticality]

I think we could make a machine that would last 1000 years or longer... 1000 years isn't really that long. Im assuming you mean a machine thats running for 1000 years rather than a machine that would still work after 1000 years because I think the later would be fairly easy.

To make it constantly running it would obviously have to be designed to do so and would probably be quite simple and it may have to be kept in a vacume chamber underground where the temperature is constant or something like that, a reliable energy source would probably be tricky. Still think it would be relatively easy to do.

I think there a lot of things today that if you put in a sealed bunker or something they would still be functional 1000 years from now.

[solbanger]

Depends on what you define as machine. If it is a device that redirects energy to a particular path then consider that certain natural systems are sort of like machines. Take hydroelectric dams, the whole system they rely upon is powered by the sun. The sun evaporates water which is taken by thunderstorms to river systems upstream. After it rains upstream the water in turn runs down stream. Finally it goes over a waterfall into a canal where the whole process starts all over again. The hydroelectric dam simply captures the energy from this large circuit.

The spinning Earth itself could be considered a life generating machine. Depends on your perspective.