Technology of modern times has seeped into every little crevice of life. Every second people are using some form of technology, whether it is the humble fluorescent light to help illuminate a room or the complex little computer we hold every day (called the smartphone).
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This dramatically big range shows us that the word technology itself is heavily generalized and has many different forms, types and segments.
In this article we will discuss and briefly explain 20 different types of technology that humanity has invented to make our lives easier and better.
Table of Contents
Information Technology
Information Technology, or I.T in short, is the most popular type of technology nowadays.
I.T is a way of storing, compiling and processing electronic data for information purposes.
Data retrieval, transmission and networking are also a part of IT. The primary usage of IT is in businesses and the corporate world, although all aspects of life enjoy the benefits of I.T.
In business areas where productivity is a key factor, IT has bloomed as the automation and sheer break-neck speed IT solutions offer- compared to human alternatives- greatly increase productivity.
Also, IT is imperative in the collection and analysis of important data like information about the customers and studies of the production process. Without IT solutions even smaller business are crippled.
Medical Technology
Medical technology is the usage of science to develop equipment and solutions to improve quality of life by helping with common health issues or for defeating hard and deadly diseases.
From eye-glasses and bandages to MRI scanners, medical technology is squarely aimed at reducing the health-hassle in life.
In the health-care industry, medical technology is used to diagnose potential and current health problems, for example an MRI scan can be performed to determine what exactly is wrong with you as a diagnostic instrument.
Not only is medical technology important in finding a disease, it is also used for treatment and monitoring.
Common equipment like blood pressure devices or glucometers are all spawns of medical technology.
These common equipment are often used daily for monitoring a person’s condition in order to avoid/reduce any unwanted situation. Other forms of medical technology- like defibrillators- are used in cases of severe emergency to save a person’s life.
Amongst the many uses and forms of technology, medical technology is one of the most important and impactful ones, as it literally saves lives.
Communications Technology
Communication technology refers to the hardware and software that are used for digital communication.
Devices like phones and PCs are the ‘hardware’. Services like phone calls or messaging and mailing applications are the ‘software’.
The importance of communications technology is simply defined as “keeping people connected”. With the help of communication technology, people can converse in real time whilst being at the opposite poles in this world.
Communications technology is also important in modern governing bodies and the corporate world. With the rapid pace either of these fields have to cope with, constant updates and communication is crucial. Any lack of communications, or a breakdown can risk large operations getting jeopardized.
Industrial and Manufacturing Technology
Technology in industrial fields provides a faster and cheaper alternative to older methods. Modern machinery like automated forges, conveyer belt lines, large scale ovens, CNC mills etc. are forms of industrial technology.
These machines help to reduce manufacturing times- this is because of the immense amount of processing these can do at a time and the ability to run constantly- increasing the productivity of factory plants.
Many of the equipment in use today are automated and only a handful of paid technicians can take care of entire plants. This lowers the cost of production, increasing profitability.
Education Technology
Education technology defines the equipment and methods that help students learn. The list of equipment ranges from simple calculators to the next-gen augmented reality e-learning tech.
The core idea of education technology is to facilitate better leaning. And this act of facilitation can happen in different levels.
Firstly, in schools, devices like PCs and projectors are in use as we speak. The purpose here is to enable teachers to teach seamlessly and spend less time making students hurdle through pages whilst also implementing an element of vividness using motion pictures and sound that help student better understand the topic-en-discussion.
Secondly, in places where education has yet to reach, where there are no schools, virtual classrooms using video calls etc. can be organized to teach children.
Many welfare organizations and individuals today are using education technology for the betterment of deprived children.
Construction Technology
The advancement in construction methods and equipment is called construction technology. This ‘advancement’ ranges from the invention of the hammer to the creation of the bulldozer.
Any new development that makes construction of any project go faster and be more efficient is construction technology.
Newest forms of construction technology are extremely high tech and present the promise of a smoother process in the future.
Recent equipment, tools and techniques like LiDAR can be used to assess the construction site beforehand.
Use of virtual reality will help and improve the designing aspect of the process. And heavier-duty automated machinery along with the use of fleet-control can ensure lower construction times.
Aerospace Technology
Aerospace technology is the requisite knowledge and equipment that are being used and developed for aviation.
Aerospace technology includes the many onboard systems and hardware of a plane, either commercial ones or war planes.
The software that are used are also a part of aerospace technology. The manufacturing of aircrafts, the materials, designs etc. are also aerospace technology. Even, the development in radar guided missiles and stealth tech also fall under aerospace technology.
The importance of aerospace technology for the general public is that the uses and developments in aerospace technology makes flying safer.
Newer planes are not only designed and made with comfort and money in mind, they come along with many new safety features and added speed that reduces flight durations.
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is the use of living organisms to make products. Baking bread for example is a form of biotechnology- the use of yeast.
Traditionally biotechnology would use organisms as they are. But the introduction of genetic engineering, the DNA of used microbes are manipulated according to the needs.
Biotechnology nowadays covers field such as biochemistry and genetics. Every year biotechnology produces many types of advancement like in medicines and, therapies and even biofuels.
Agriculture Technology
Agriculture technology is defined as the use of technology in agriculture. Precision equipment, robots, drones, GPS, tractors are all agricultural tech.
The intent of these equipment is to increase production and lower cost. By using GPS and similar tech, the best place for plantations can be found.
Then the use of robots allows farmers to be precise with means they can target patches of the field and not waste fertilizers and other materials.
Robotics also help in monitoring and management of resources. Overall, agriculture technology improves yield, reduces cost and increases productivity.
Electronics Technology
Electronic technology is the use of science in order to design, manufacture, install, test, maintain and control electronic parts.
Devices like phones and computers are based on electronic technology. Such technologies are used in business applications and residential applications. Electronics technology is a part of the fabric of our lives. The use of this tech exists in every corner of life now.
Because of Electronic Technology, we can have all other forms of Technology described here. All hardware used in high-tech equipment are made from microchips, memory chips, microprocessors etc, which are part of Electronic Technology.
Military Technology
Military technology is the use of technology to create new weapons etc. for warfare purposes. Development of guns, tanks missiles, radar equipment, fighter jets and carriers are all branches of military technology.
Nuclear weaponry is also a part of military tech. Military technology is one of the more heavily invested-in segments. The rate at which this tech grows is breakneck. As countries try to edge each other out in terms of firepower, they put more and more emphasis of military tech resulting in the rapid growth.
This type of technology is the only one which everyone wishes that it didn’t exist 
Robotics Technology
Robotics technology is the process of designing and building intelligent robots. The robots incepted from robotics technologies are in most cases intended to replace or diminish human intervention.
One particularly well-known use of robotics is in mass manufacturing car companies. There, robots do the jobs that would take a long time for humans like welding and painting.
Robotics’ application in a corporate mindset is to reduce production time of each individual product unit.
Also, because a robot can act as a direct replacement for many workers, production cost or labor cost is also reduced.
Other than that, robots have also found their homes in many different places. Robots are used in militaries- automated guns- and for household purposes- robot vacuums etc.
Artificial Intelligence Technology
Artificial intelligence technology, or AI is the simulation of human intelligence in machines. The goal of AI tech is to create a machine that can learn and interpret situations like humans- basically mimic what a human would do.
AI tech has already made its way into our everyday lives. The self-driving functions few cars offer is AI based, with the cruise control feature most modern cars are equipped with also being an AI feature by extension.
The latest laptops and phone also have smart AI features which can use machine learning to study the usage pattern of its user and better optimize the device.
Assistive Technology
Assistive technology is the equipment used for assisting people with disabilities. This includes any device or equipment that might help a person with disabilities.
Assistive technology comes in many forms. Wheelchairs and ‘text-to-speech’ functions in devices are all examples of assistive technology.
Different disabilities deem different assistive tech. A person who has a tough time hearing can use a speech to text converter to converse.
Similarly, a student with a disorder like dyslexia might use of the many available software to help him study. Assistive tech is aimed at making life better for the special ones in society.
Entertainment Technology
Entertainment technology is the development and manufacturing of devices and software that either enhance or provide entertainment.
This type of technology is one of the most common. Each household nowadays have multiple sets of TVs and sound-systems which are entertainment tech.
Furthermore, laptops, and phones also act as entertainment sources with the help of a range of software that are designed for this purpose.
These software include anything and everything between social media platforms to music and video sharing platforms to video games.
The dazzling concerts and shows also fall under this category of technology thanks to their ‘setups’ consisting of large-scale screens sound-systems etc.
Sports Technology
Sports technology is the study and use of modern precise technology in sports. Sports technology is used with the intentions that with the help of modern science, sports can be taken to the next level.
The first use of sport technology is studies. Professionals i.e. medical teams and physique teams study a sport and the players extensively.
This study is conducted so that the ideal conditions, optimal training methods etc. can be found which would increase the level of play.
The second use of technology in sport is for precision. Many major sports nowadays have precise revision systems that use high tech gear to help get factual decision.
In the sport cricket, items of tech like high-res cameras and mics are used to help get proper decisions- the cameras are used for instant replay to review ‘run-out’ decisions or close calls at the boundary, whilst the mics are used to detect tiny ‘edges’ by the batsmen.
More recently the introduction of VAR in football has enabled referees officiating matches to review decisions.
The use of VAR in football is the embodiment of sport technology pushing the boundaries of precision as with their very first try, they have tried to achieved millimeter level precision in offside decisions in football.
Vehicle Technology
Vehicle technology can be defined as the development of vehicles. The improvements made to combustion engines in cars, the updates made to aircraft, all are forms of vehicle technology.
Improving the efficiency and reducing carbon output all while maintaining or leveling up comfort is vehicle technology.
Another forms of vehicle technology are the multiple items for safety that is put into cars. Laser cruise control, collision avoid systems, parking sensors, back up cameras, 360-degree camera systems and anything else that falls under the punchline “stops you from knocking into stuff”’ is vehicle technology.
Vehicle tech aims to improves these means of travel by making them safer and more comfortable to travel in.
Environmental Technology
Environmental technology is the use of science, knowledge and various forms of tech for the betterment of the environment and our ecosystem.
This category of tech includes the requisite knowledge and devices that monitor and preserve natural resources.
Environmental technology is also used to try and negate the bad effects of human activities on the planet.
Environmental tech is also the term for sustainable energy. Wind turbines, photovoltaics are categories under environment tech. Other forms of this tech are water purification, air purification and sewage treatment processes.
3D Printing Technology
3D printing technology is the process of ‘printing’ an object in 3-dimension layer-by-layer. In the most common form of 3D printing, a design- first made in a CAD software is input into a printer which then builds the object.
A core advantage of 3D printing is that it can be used to create objects with ‘core structures’ like a truss that would be near impossible to do by hand.
Another advantage of 3D printing is that it produces less waste when compared to stamping, or CNC milling as is it printing- essentially building the item- rather than cutting it out of large piece of material which leaves behind unusable debris.
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