Technology is a machine, method, or piece of equipment that is the result of the practical application of scientific knowledge. Life in the 21st century is made easier and more convenient by the hundreds of technologies available to us, literally at the tip of our fingers. Some of them are cellular phones, microwave ovens, and electricity, to name the most obvious ones. However, here are some other technologies modern humans just can’t live without…even though we don’t realize it.
Radio signals
The first thing that comes to mind at the mention of radio are those AM/FM radio transmitters that brought us music and news before the advent of the Internet and music streaming sites. However, radio waves do much more than that. They are utilized in television broadcasts, cellular phones, Wi-Fi or Wireless Fidelity connections, and cable television. Radio waves travel through the air, sent by a transmitter, received by a receiver, and translated by an antenna. Nonetheless, radio waves also travel across cable connections. However, radio signals can be intercepted and are likewise susceptible to interruption. Low-pass filters are utilized to block harmonic emissions, preventing interference from other communication options.
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetic fields are produced by electricity passing through a conductor. These electromagnetic fields are highly useful in our daily life, even though we may not know it. It makes touchscreen phones and tablets possible by creating an electromagnetic field between two screens. Tapping on one part of the screen affects the electromagnetic fields, which then coincides with a particular command. Nonetheless, electromagnetic fields have long been used in daily life—from making the motors of electric fans to work to making doorbells and loudspeakers to produce sound.
RFID
RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. It is a technology that utilizes a small computer chip containing data. For example, library books have RFID tags which store information such as the title and author of a book, as well as information regarding the library it comes from. When to be taken out from the library, it has to undergo a process to deactivate the RFID so that when it passes through the scanners by the library entrance, it won’t sound the alarm. This prevents it from being stolen. A more useful example are RFID tags contained in a toll card that contain information such as the car’s plate number, and available credit.
Lasers
We encounter lasers more often than we think. When you purchase anything from the grocery or the convenience store, a laser scanner scans the product’s price tag to confirm the product name and price. We also use lasers when playing our favourite movies and music using the DVD player or CD player, or a DVD-ROM device in our computer.
LED
LED, or light-emitting diodes, are light sources utilized in daily life as they are more cost-effective, long lasting, and energy-efficient. You’ll find them in traffic lights, road signs, as light indicators on our cars, and in our flat screen televisions. They are used in both outdoor and indoor lighting options as they are brighter than incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. When they were first used in the 1960s, they only came in one color—red.
