Forms of Technology
Knowledge
➢“Facts, information, and skills acquired through
experience or education”
➢“What is learned, understood or aware of”
Examples:
➢Learning the alphabet
➢Having the ability to find a location
➢Remembering details about an event
Science
➢The body of knowledge of the physical and
natural worlds.
➢Observing, studying, and experimenting to
learn how the world works.
➢Examples
➢Biology
➢Chemistry
➢Physics
➢Social science
➢Medicine
Engineering
➢The application of knowledge gained from science to design, build, and
maintain technologies
➢The science concerned with putting scientific knowledge to practical uses
➢It can be divided into different branches
➢Civil
➢Electrical
➢Mechanical
➢Chemical
➢Material
➢Telecommunication
Technology
➢“All the knowledge, products, processes, tools, methods and systems employed in
the creation of goods or in providing services”
➢Simply “the way we do things”
➢“Practical implication of knowledge, a means of siding human endeavor”
-Tarek Khalil
➢Robotics
➢3D printing
➢2G,3G,4G,5G
➢Artificial intelligence
➢Nano technology
Functions of technology
➢Technology is a tool used in transforming inputs into output (products) or, more
generally, towards achieving purposes or goals
Example:
➢Inputs can be material, information, skills or services.
➢Products can be goods, services or information
➢Such a tool can be both physical (machine, computer) and logical (methodology,
technique)
➢Technology as a tool does not have to be from steel, wood or silica
➢It could also be a recipe, process or algorithm
Functions of technology
➢The nature of technology has changed in the global era during the
development of human history (Stone age to ICT age)
➢It is becoming more integrative and more knowledge-oriented
➢It is available globally and it includes also logical schemes, procedures and
software, not just tools and machinery
➢Technology should be viewed as a form of social relationship, with hardware
and software being enabled by Brainware and the requisite support network
Evolution by age of technology
Agricultural age
Industrial age
Information age
Forms of Technology
Software
Brain ware
Know-how
Hardware
Technology
Forms of Technology
Hardware
Software
Brain-ware
Know-how
Physical structure
and logical layout of
the equipment or
machinery
set of rules,
guidelines, and
algorithms necessary
for using the
hardware to carry
out the task
The purpose
(objectives and
goals), reason, and
justification for using
or deploying the
hardware/software
in a particular way
Learned or acquired
knowledge of
technical skill
regarding how to do
things well
Result of experience,
transfer of
knowledge or hand
on experience
Classification of technology
New technology
• Technology is not new to the world, but for the
organization
• Ex: Auto cad drawings, Internet
Emerging technology
• Technology that is not yet fully commercialized, but will
become within near future
• Ex: Genetic engineering, Nano technology
Sustainable technology
• Technology needed to harness renewable source of
energy
• Ex: Solar, Wind, Tidal- power, Geothermal energy
Low technology
• Technology with manual or semi-automatic operations
• Ex: Hippo roller, Organic farming, Carpentry
Classification of technology (Cont’d)
High technology
• Advanced or sophisticated technologies
• Virtual reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Medium technology
• Mature technology that are more amenable than other
technology transfer
• Ex: Automotive industry, Consumer products
Codified vs Tacit
technology
• Codified- easy to articulate, write down, and share. Ex:
Engineering drawing
• Tacit-difficult to write down, visualize or transfer from
one person to another, Can be transferred by
demonstration or conservation
Evolution by age of Technology (cont’d)
Bell’s Law
Roughly every decade a new, lower priced computer
class forms based on a new programming platform,
network, and interface resulting in new usage and
the establishment of a new industry.
The right-most point on this chart shows millimeterscale sensors, also known as “motes” or “smart dust,”
which, when deployed in large numbers, can form
wireless sensor networks (WSNs).
Motes are entire computer systems the size of a grain
of sand that sense some environmental variable like
pressure, temperature, vibration, or light.
They are designed to be cheap and ubiquitous, selfpowered and able to communicate with each other.
Importance of technology
Moving toward a frictionless lifestyle
Moving
• Smart phones - Online/mobile banking
• Taxi services - Uber/Pick me
• Ecommerce website – Online purchasing
• OTA (Online Travel Agency) – Booking.com/AirBnB
Monitoring environmental factor (IOT)
Monitoring
Soil moisture detection
Temperature and Humidity detection
Importance of technology (Cont’d)
➢Building on the small disruptions
Importance of technology (cont’d)
Biomedical engineering
• Long-term monitoring of internal human body processes, pressure, temperature, ECG
• Detecting tumors and monitoring tumor growth, sensing glucose levels.
Infrastructure development
• Monitoring stresses and corrosion in bridges, highways and tunnels.
Transportation
• Automated traffic control, driverless cars. (General motors/Ford/ Tesla/Volkswagen)
Home Automation
• “Smart homes” with interconnected appliances, entertainment, lighting, HVAC and security systems
Q&A
The End