2. What is technology
• Technology is the sum of techniques, skills, methods, and
processes used in the production of goods or services or in the
accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation.
3. Why is technology important
• Technology is inevitable in our everyday lives. ... The
development of new technologies helps to save lives; it
improves work and makes the world better. In
reality, technology has played a very important role in how we
live in the world today and how we communicate in the
atmosphere with everything around us.
4. Ten technological advances changing the world and how we live in it
• Electricity.
• The laser.
• Semiconductor chips.
• Quantum computing.
• The elevator.
• The Human Genome Project.
• The automobile.
• The Global Positioning System.
• The Smart phone.
5. Electricity
• Would any new advancements have been possible without the
breakthrough of electricity? Obviously not. Since early
discoverers like Benjamin Franklin studied it, and inventors like
Nikola Tesla tested ways to turn it into power, electricity has not
only been fueling generations of new innovations but also
become an irreplaceable tool of modern life.
6. The laser
• Discovered in 1960, lasers were so before their time, scientists
were not even certain where exactly they could be applied.
Since then, lasers have found their way into nearly every sector,
from medicine to consumer electronics to manufacturing. In
fact, now, on an average day, nearly every person comes into
contact with a laser¹ in some shape or form.
7. Semiconductor chips.
• Many major technical advances became the springboard for countless
other new innovations. A good example? The semiconductor chip. The
electric circuit with many components such as transistors and wiring
opened the door to the evolution of the laptop, followed by the smartphone
and tablet.
8. Quantum computing.
• The invention of the computer, and especially the personal computer, will continue to
shape our lives. In October 2019, it was announced that a quantum computer, which uses
quantum mechanics to massively increase processing power, solved a problem that a
standard computer couldn’t in just 200 seconds, marking a new realm of potential
applications to explore.
9. The elevator
• It’s not exactly quantum mechanics, but today’s cities would be unimaginable without
the elevator. The elevator unleashed a new wave of architecture and the age of the
skyscraper. A new invention, the MULTI, the first elevator designed to move horizontally
as well as vertically, is similarly poised to open new paths to urban planning and building
design.
10. The Human Genome Project.
• No other modern advancement in science has transformed medicine so radically as the
Human Genome Project. Completed in 2003, the HGP mapped every gene in the human
genome. It opened the door to medical studies on genes associated with diseases and
led to a flourishing of biotech companies seeking to find new applications in healthcare.
11. The Automobile.
• Truly a vehicle for change: once the first car rolled off the assembly lines, it never stopped
moving. Originally seen as a panacea for all mobility challenges, the car has had to adapt
to a global demand to eliminate fossil-fuel use and decrease traffic. Enter the next
generation: hybrid cars, electric cars, and driverless cars, proving the car will be with us
for centuries to come.
12. The Global Positioning System.
• While cars accelerate our day-to-day life, getting from A to B can still be a challenge,
especially in a new place. First invented in 1973, Global Positioning System (GPS)
technology came on the market in 1995. Using satellites, it pinpoints a location and helps
you navigate. More recently, it has been the cornerstone of a host of smart city and urban
mobility apps.
13. The Smart phone.
• We hate to admit it, but the smartphone has become ubiquitous and absolutely necessary
for modern living. One reason why it is so special is that it can be linked up to, and
harnessed by, so many other technical advancements, from GPS to mobile banking to
fitness apps. When Apple launched its first smartphone in 2007, there was simply no
going back.