Technological Revolution & Business and Industries – Part: 2

Since the beginning of human civilization, technology has undergone many changes. It has changed from the sharp hunting tools used in pre-historic times to the printing press built in the early 1400s to the modern-day cutting-edge technologies. The modern era technologies now have reached the potential that they can easily replace any work which can be done by humans. The term technology was not around for the last 200 years. The English language didn’t have this word as recent as the early 21st century. The word Technology was borrowed from the German word ‘Technik’ and the European word ‘Technologie’ which means technology. 

Also Read : Technological Revolution & Business and Industries – Part: 1

Technological Revolution & Business and Industries – Part: 1

Technologies have evolved beyond what it was previously thought to be. It has now so evolved that you can create or alter even human bodies. Today, the technologies can create alternate realities which can be easily perceived as real. A person today can easily lose touch with what is real and what is virtual with the use of the right technologies.

Let’s focus on some more technologies that have changed the aspect of industries and businesses around the globe;

3D Printing

The 3D printing industry has gained so much in the last decade. Invented in the 1980s, 3D printing saw a huge rise in the consumer, industrial as well as model-making sectors than any other technology. “3D Printing is a process for making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, typically by laying down many successive thin layers of a material.” 

The production is basically carried out layer by layer in an additive process, which is in contrast to traditional methods of production involving subtractive methods or molding/casting processes. Applications of 3D printing are emerging almost by the day, and, as this technology continues to penetrate more widely and deeply across industrial, maker, and consumer sectors, this is only set to increase. Most reputable commentators on this technology sector agree that, as of today, we are only just beginning to see the true potential of 3D printing. (Source: https://3dprintingindustry.com/3d-printing-basics-free-beginners-guide/)

The 3D printing industry has grown so much in the last 10 years. The use of 3D printed objects ranges from model making industry to the healthcare industry. The technology has evolved so much that you can even print 3D-printed organs which can then be implanted in the human body and a patient can survive. The process of building objects from organic material can also benefit the food industry if they can produce 3D printed meat.

Location Sensing/Tracking:

Imagine if you can locate or track someone just by clicking a few buttons on your computer or mobile and can see what that someone is watching right now? This is not a bond movie, this indeed is a reality now. You can remotely track or keep tabs on people or products from one location. The technology of tracking and sensing is used today across many platforms in industries as well as businesses. 

Location tracking refers to technologies that physically locate and electronically record and track the movement of people or objects. This technology is in use every day with GPS navigation, locations located on digital pictures, and searching for businesses nearby using common apps.

It has many beneficial uses. Commercial businesses track expensive machinery, fleets of vehicles, and product shipments, seeking to prevent equipment inventory loss. Hospitals track patients to improve efficiency in busy ER’s and to safeguard infants in maternity wards and allow only the parents to carry the infants using location tracking devices. 

Additional uses for location tracking include wearable gadgets and apps for parents to track their kids and for law enforcement tracks offenders. The cameras you see at red lights, the cell phone app in your pocket, and activity monitors all have some location tracking capability, which makes the tracking of people’s locations and every move a debated privacy issue as well. (Source: https://www.bobology.com/public/What-is-Location-Tracking.cfm)

Nanotechnology:

The study of nanotechnology or nanotech involves the study of particles or objects so small that they are only visible via a microscope. It means manipulating atoms and molecules for the fabrication of macro-scale products. Nanotech has found so many applications in industries around the world. Ranging from nanoscale science, engineering, and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter at a very small scale. 

The interesting fact is that a nanometer is one billionth of a meter (i.e. 1,000,000,000 or 10^9). The process of understanding and working at such a minute level is the science of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology may be able to create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications, such as in nanomedicine, nano-electronics, biomaterials energy production, and consumer products. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanotechnology).

The technologies not only have changed how we interact with machines but also have given the ease of working on an industrial or business level. It continues to evolve as we talk and will continue to grow in the future. The technologies are considered a boon to the industries. But, the technologies should be used with caution as well as responsibility as it will not be long that it may convert to curse.