A unique and exceptional map of universe in 3D will be made by 5,000 robots. The US Department of Energy (DoE) has given approval for progressing with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (Desi) project, which is currently in its designing stage. With DoE approval, the project will now move to construction phase.

The commencement of this stage is set for 2018. The map will be constructed by robots that will be 10 inches in length and cylindrical in shape. Fibre-optic cables will be accurately aimed by the 5,000 finger-width robots at millions of galaxies, stars and brilliant celestial objects, known as quasars. The Desi project involves the participation of nearly 300 scientists and engineers belonging to approximately 45 institutions worldwide.

"The DESI map of galaxies will reveal patterns that result from the interplay of pressure and gravity in the first 400,000 years after the Big Bang. We'll be using these subtle fingerprints to study the expansion history of the universe", said Desi co-spokesperson, Daniel Eisenstein from Harvard University.

David Schlegel of Berkeley Lab, a co-project scientist for DESI, stated that with this move, the project has come nearer to its five-year mission to reach locations in the universe that have never been covered under any map previously. A sample of the project, named ProtoDESI, has been set up at the Mayall Telescope.

The purpose of this sample installation is to perform a test-run of the project over a period of two months. Four small robots will be used by the device to perform checking of the camera and also the fibre positioning systems. The aim is to get ready for the comprehensive and complete Desi project.

Risa Wechsler of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University and co-spokesperson for the project, revealed that this map will enable investigation on physics of the universe and also the identification of the exact nature of dark matter.

According to a report in Tech Crunch by Brian Heater, "You don’t do things halfway when it comes to tasks like mapping the light of millions of galaxies. That sort of job requires a fairly massive undertaking like, say, 5,000 ten-inch cylindrical robots each measuring the width of a finger that are tasked with gathering light from galaxies, stars and supermassive blackhole-powered quasars."

The planned observation will take five years, focusing on a third of the sky with data capable of bringing a third dimension to standard 2D sky maps. Of course, every scientist is hoping to get some unique new insight out of the project.

Here’s spokesperson, Risa Wechsler putting dark energy on notice, “DESI will be able to make a 3D map of the universe using an order of magnitude more redshifts than currently exist. This will allow us to probe the physics of the universe and discover the true nature of dark energy.”

A report published in Theiet informed, "This expenditure will include completing manufacture of 5,000 finger-width, 10-inch-long cylindrical robots. They will point fibre-optic cables to gather light from a chosen set of galaxies, stars and massive quasars, which emit extremely large amounts of energy."

“The DESI map of galaxies will reveal patterns that result from the interplay of pressure and gravity in the first 400,000 years after the Big Bang,” said Daniel Eisenstein of Harvard University, a DESI co-spokesperson. “We’ll be using these subtle fingerprints to study the expansion history of the universe.”

DESI is one of several planned observatory projects designed to tackle cosmic mysteries such as dark energy and the universe's first light. Risa Wechsler, of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University and DESI co-spokesperson said: “DESI will be able to make a 3D map of the universe using an order of magnitude more redshifts than currently exist.