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Iranian Scientist Invents 'Time Machine'


The Iranian device sounds slightly more modest in scale than the time-traveling DeLorean from "Back to the Future," with its inventor claiming it can fit into a small case.
The Iranian device sounds slightly more modest in scale than the time-traveling DeLorean from "Back to the Future," with its inventor claiming it can fit into a small case.
Iranian scientist Ali Razeghi has registered a time machine with the country’s Center for Strategic Inventions.

Razeghi, 27, cites algorithms as the source of the device’s ability to "predict five to eight years of the future life of any individual with 98 percent accuracy."

The invention, dubbed "The Aryayek Time Traveling Machine," produces printed reports that contain details about the future, according to "The Telegraph," which cites an Iranian news agency report.

“My invention easily fits into the size of a personal computer case,” said Razeghi, “It will not take you into the future, it will bring the future to you.”

Razeghi happens to be the managing director of the Center for Strategic Inventions, where he has 179 other devices registered under his name.

"I have been working on this [time machine] project for the last 10 years," he says.

The "time machine" was presented not only as a tool for individuals but also as a resource for governments seeking to preempt major crises.

"Naturally, a government that can see five years into the future would be able to prepare itself for challenges that might destabilize it," he is quoted as saying.

Friends and family have reportedly criticized Razeghi for "trying to play God" with the device, which he say she began working on at the tender age of 17.

But Razeghi is quick to fend off those who might want to get their hands on his powerful piece of technology.

"The Americans are trying to make this invention by spending millions of dollars on it," he says. "The reason that we are not launching our prototype at this stage is that the Chinese will steal the idea and produce it [by the] millions overnight."

Despite Razeghi's confident claims, most Iran watchers will likely be treating his announcement with a certain amount of skepticism.

In February, bloggers quickly pointed out that a photo of Iran's new Qaher-313 stealth fighter jet flying over a mountain range was faked. The plane’s shadows and lighting suggested that it was photographed indoors. The background turned out to be a stock image of Iran’s Mount Damavand. Other bloggers also noted that the design of the aircraft made aviation experts doubt whether it was even a real plane.

In 2012, Iran released a photo of Koker 1, which it unveiled as the world’s first drone capable of vertical takeoff and landing. Internet commentators promptly linked the device to a group of engineers from Chiba University in Japan, who had actually invented the drone in 2008.

-- Sam Colt

About This Blog

Written by RFE/RL editors and correspondents, Transmission serves up news, comment, and the odd silly dictator story. While our primary concern is with foreign policy, Transmission is also a place for the ideas -- some serious, some irreverent -- that bubble up from our bureaus. The name recognizes RFE/RL's role as a surrogate broadcaster to places without free media. You can write us at transmission+rferl.org

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