Life today is not as difficult as it used to be during the earlier times. During those times when technology was not yet fully developed, people spend too much time in doing their activities. Not only time was extensively spent but also energy. Sometimes, this resulted to problems due to human errors. To perform the activities effectively and efficiently, development of technology is conducted. Development and research activities have led to various technologies today. Thanks to technology and the continuous development, human activities are done easier. This purpose of technology has made people to have great dependence with it that it will be different if the current technologies do not exist. The dependence of people to technology is also brought by its wide range of applications. Technology is giving significant contributions in different fields such as manufacturing, medical care, and communication.
In the manufacturing industries, many processes are involved to make the product. The production involves moving the semi-finished material from one work station to another. However, this work is labor extensive if done manually. To make work easier an assembly line can be used to move the material. Also, in using an assembly line, the semi-finished material moves along a series of work stations where other parts are added until the final product is formed. This application of the assembly line makes work less time and labor consuming.
The automobile manufacturing industry is one of the manufacturing industries that use assembly lines. Ford Motor Company is one of the automobile manufacturing companies who use assembly lines. In 2013, Ford commemorated the 100th anniversary of the assembly line invented by the company under the leadership of Henry Ford. In 1913, the first moving assembly line was introduced to the manufacturing industry. The first assembly line is a simple model used for manufacturing Ford Model T. it used a rope that pulls the vehicle along a line of 84 steps performed by different groups of workers (“100 Years of the Moving Assembly Line”).
This technology made significant contribution to the manufacturing process as it reduces the assembly time for a vehicle from 12 hours to 90 minutes. This development is highly beneficial because it was able to save time, money and labor needed to manufacture a vehicle. This benefit is not only helpful to the manufacturers but to the consumers. The improvement and the savings contributed in reducing the price of the product, making it more affordable to the consumers (“100 Years”).
Presently, innovative technologies are being developed such as 3D printing, robotics and virtual manufacturing. These new technologies are aimed at improving the quality of manufacturing as well as to cut down the cost of production. This will be made by creating computer simulations of the manufacturing process then analysing it. It also includes analysis of how workers in assembly line perform their work (“100 Years”). Other innovations are also done for assembly lines such as including process control and automation. This innovation can help to minimize human interventions and to facilitate immediate changes (Coxworth).
Technology is also helpful in the medical field. Many technologies are used in the many areas that improve diagnosis of diseases and help in treating patients. The role of technology in the medical field since the earlier times can be seen in the development of medical devices in the 1800s. At that time, medical devices such as thermometer, microscopes, and stethoscope were used to examine the human body. With these devices, scientists were able understand how the state of the human body and were able to diagnose diseases. It was also during the 1800s when electrical machines were first used in therapy. This treatment method was used to treat spasms, pain, and epilepsy. Another notable technology is the X-ray machine which was importantly used during the First World War. This technology became a powerful medical device because it enabled doctors to examine deep inside the body without resorting to open surgery (“Technology and medicine”).
In the 20th century, technology gave rise to the development of devices that assist the body. Such technologies include hearing aids and artificial limbs. Meanwhile, devices such as ventilators and pacemakers are used to support body organs. Other important technologies that arose in the 20th century are the computer machines. These machines are used to continuously monitor the patient’s condition. The use of computers also led to the used of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that can be used to recreate body images (“Technology and medicine”).
3D printing is one of the newest technologies used in medical field. This technology is becoming popular and is used in medicine for various purposes such as helping in replacing bones, helping in preparing for surgeries, and creating support devices such as hearing aids. Some of the projects where 3D printing for medical purposes is used are Project Daniel in South Sudan and a project of the University of Toronto and Autodesk Research in Uganda. In these projects, prosthetic arms for the local people were created using 3D printers. This technology was able to deliver the medical aid for people in war. 3D printing was also used to give a woman in Holland a brand new skull and to help a man in the United Kingdom to recreate his face after an accident (“The Best Medical Technologies of 2014”). 3D printing is useful in the faster creation of medical devices. This technology has helped in producing most of hearing aids. Around 95 percent of the hearing aids today were created using 3D printing. Also, this technology also helps in producing teeth-straightening braces. One of the producers of teeth-straightening braces, Align Technology, is able to produce 650,000 pairs of braces using 3D printers (Kotler).
Another emerging technology is the smart powered prostheses. These are artificial limbs that can be controlled with the beneficiary’s mind. This function is made possible by putting sensors on the prosthetic. An example is the prosthetic hand with tactile sensors. In this artificial limb, sensors are placed on the fingertips that enable the user to feel what he is touching. Another innovation is the Neurobridge technology. This technology enables a quadriplegic man to move his arm. This is done by implanting a chip to the region of the brain that is responsible for the movement of the hands. The chip can read electrical signals from the brain and transmit them to the prosthetic arm to enable it to move. The beneficiary of this technology is now able to pinch the fingers together, rotate the hands, and make a fist just like his natural arm (“The Best Medical”).
Diabetes is one of the major causes of disability and even death. The development of diabetes monitoring and glucose control technology is helpful for diabetic patients. In monitoring glucose level of diabetic patients, finger pricking is required daily. However, this monitoring method is a bit painful. With the help of the newly invented diabetes monitoring and glucose control technology, painless pricking is can be made anywhere on the body. An example of the device is the Genteel lancing device. The device works by creating a vacuum around the area to be pricked, then vibrates the spot and immediately piercing it. Another example of the diabetes monitoring and glucose control technology is the laser-based glucometer that uses mid-infrared light to analyse the dermal interstitial fluid. This fluid is then correlated with the amount of glucose existing in the blood (“The Best Medical”).
Great improvements in communication are made over this century with the help of technology. During the past century, communication is difficult. The communication to other people especially those who were overseas were too slow. The most common mode of communication before was letters. However, it would take a long time before the message could be delivered. The poor communication can lead to several problems such as inability to make immediate decisions. Because of this, people strive hard to improve communication and technology played an important role in the development.
One of the contributions of technology to communication is the application of electronic technology. This technology includes the use of electronic waves and signals in communication. It has also led to the popular used of the internet to communicate and transfer documents. The spread of the internet as a result of technological advances is one of the greatest contributions to the field of communication. With this technology, sending emails, chatting, and document transfer are made possible not only with people in closer distances but also worldwide. Unlike the past century, communication is lot faster and also cheaper. Advances in technology also made communication effective and more accessible for all people anytime, anywhere (Nayab).
The technological advances in communication also give rise to the development of social media applications. The social media help people to reconnect with their friends and families. Also, it helps people to establish new connection to others all over the world. The use of social media can make people feel they are more connected to people through chatting and being updated with their activities. It is also a venue to share their interest to others (Eastman).
The improvement of communication with the help of technology also helps people in their workplace. Communication is important in business especially today wherein communication is not only face to face but mostly happen through phone calls and conference calls. Also, people in business talk about work through emails. This form of communication helps to make collaboration to different people and establish networks. It also made working with people at different time zones possible (Burg).
The development of technology has made significant contributions to many areas of applications today. At first, the technological development was slow but every step made had contributed to the technology we have today. The contributions made by technology in the field of manufacturing, medicine, and communication are important. The use of technology in assembly lines has made the production process effective and efficient. It also resulted to more production and reduced cost of the products. Meanwhile, medical technologies have helped in improving the treatment methods and diagnosis. In this way, lives of many people are saved. Great improvement and advantages are also contributed to the field of communication. The way businesses are handled becomes effective. The most important achievement in communication through technology is experience by people in their daily lives. The use of technology in communication has helped in making people feel that they are always near the people they care for. These contributions of technology in many fields truly show how technology makes life easier. Without them, human activities will still be slower and ineffective. Although people are experiencing comfort brought by technology, further studies and development are still conducted. This is done with the goal of continuing to develop technologies that would further improve the lives of the people. Technology is beneficial but it is also important that people use it wisely and responsibly.
Works Cited
“100 Years of the Moving Assembly Line.” Ford n.d. Web. 8 May 2016.
Burg, N. “How Technology Has Changed Workplace Communication.” Forbes 10 Dec 2013. Web. 8 May 2016.
Coxworth, B. “New tech could allow production lines to automatically adjust to changes.” GizMag 2 Nov. 2011. Web. 8 May 2016.
Eastman, Hayley. “Communication changes with technology, social media.” The daily Universe 7 Jul 2013. Web. 8 May 2016.
Kotler, Steven. “5 Medical Technologies Revolutionizing Healthcare.” Forbes 19 Dec 2013. Web. 8 May 2016.
Nayab, N. “How Communication Has Evolved With New Technologies.” Bright Hub 24 Oct 2014. Web. 8 May 2016.
“Technology and medicine.” Science Museum n.d. Web. 8 May 2016.
“The Best Medical Technologies of 2014.” medGadget 31 Dec 2014. Web. 8 May 2016.
