WHAT FACTORS INFLUENCE TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION?
Channel: Tecnología con CLASE
Date: 2021-04-05

VOZ: Aimee Lawter, aimeelawter@gmail.com



As time goes by, new technological devices appear, which, previously, would have seemed like science fiction. And not only do new devices appear, but those that already exist are constantly being improved.
For example, if you compare the prehistoric wheel and the modern wheel, you will find huge differences--yet these vast differences are the result of many small improvements made gradually over time.

Here’s another example: The vacuum cleaner allows us to clean the floor of our houses faster and easier, without having to use the dustpan and raising dust that will later accumulate on the furniture.

These are the main factors that influence the evolution of technology:
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
NEW MATERIALS
NEW TOOLS
NEW WORKING METHODS
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ROBOTICS
THE ECONOMY

1.- SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE:
Science and technology always go hand in hand. Scientific discoveries allow us to develop new objects and improve upon those that already exist.
For example, before a motor for this vacuum cleaner could be built, scientists had to first explain electromagnetic phenomena, because, without this knowledge, engineers would not have been able to develop electrical machines.

2.- In order for technology to evolve, it is also necessary to have the appropriate materials.
The development of new materials is one of the disciplines most closely connected to the evolution of technology. Each new material provides new properties, which gives new possibilities for the improvement of technological objects.
Clearly, without plastic, we could not make the vacuum cleaner in our example.
Another example is semiconductor materials. The diodes and transistors that regulate the electronic operation of the vacuum cleaner are made up of materials that were not discovered until the 19th century.

3.- In addition to new materials, we also need new tools to facilitate certain tasks.
These tools can range from giant machines, like a tunnel boring machine, to a simple pulley.
To build the vacuum cleaner we have to join the pieces with screws, which means, we’re going to need a screwdriver.nWe also need tin soldering irons for the electronic circuits and special machines for molding the plastic.
If we were making a broom instead, we would need different, much simpler tools.

4.- Methods of production and the organization of work are important aspects of industrial development.
Over time, demand for artisan work and crafts has been decreasing. Today, practically all manufacturing is done in factories on a mass scale and this has resulted in profound changes to working methods.
Factories are organized around assembly lines, where each operator performs very specific and repetitive tasks in order to increase productivity.
And, as technological objects become more complex, highly specialized personnel are needed for each stage of manufacturing.
All of this together, from assembly lines to the specialization of each operator (from simple operations to the most complex ones), allows increasingly complex objects to be manufactured at lower costs.
Moving from individual, artisan work to collective work on an assembly line, ​​in which different people with a high degree of specialization work together, leads us to the next point…

5.- Today, you cannot have an understanding of technological evolution without talking about COMPUTERS AND ROBOTICS
Computer science and robotics, together with artificial intelligence, are part of a new industrial revolution… a revolution that has only just begun.
In the previous point, we said that modern production methods require highly specialized people, but they also demand extreme precision--and the fact is, a robot is always going to be more precise and more efficient than a human. And in general terms, a robot can also be more productive and economical.

6. Finally, we have the ECONOMY
The economy is very important in almost all aspects of our life and also in the evolution of technology.
Even if we have the necessary scientific knowledge, materials, tools, and adequate working methods, but we live in a society as poor as William Kamkwamba's, where even electric light is a luxury that few can afford, then the vacuum cleaner would not exist, because, as a general rule, only those products that are economically viable, which is to say, profitable, are developed.

Today, the car is part of our day to day lives. The car has impacted the design of cities and our way of life… but in the beginning, it was a luxury item… it was so expensive that very few could afford to own a car.
The real success of the car was not only because of the speed and comfort it brought to travel but also due to the fact that Henry Ford managed to lower production costs enough to fit the price of a car into the average person’s budget.