Unit III: TECHNOLOGY

EVOLUTION AND
UTILIZATION
 Overview
•The advent of technology has brought significant changes in the lives of the people all over the world. Life
was made simpler but complicated. Everything was just a click away using internet.
•In this unit, technology evolution will be discussed and the processes of how technology has been utilized
by the people. The specific topics include definition and nature of technology, theory of technological evolution,
and the new and emerging technology.
•The impact of technology to the human race will also be given importance as to its positive and negative
effects.

Learning Objectives
•At the end of the lesson, I am able to:
1. define technology, evolution and utilization;
2. define the theory of technological evolution;
3. give evidences of new and emerging technology;
4. describe how technology relate to time;
5. illustrate the impact of technology to human race; and
6. identify the various utilization of technology.
Setting Up:

Please go over the readings and be able to answer the following:

1. What was the simplest technology ever created?
2. How are you going to connect yourself to the world around you?
3. What medium are you going to use?
4. How would you contribute to the preservation and conservation of the
resources in your own locality? To the world?
 Lesson Proper

Lesson 3.1 Definition and nature of Technology

•The term technology, a combination of the Greek technē, “art, craft,” with logos, “word, speech,” meant in
Greece a discourse on the arts, both fine and applied. By the early 20th century, the term embraced a growing
range of means, processes, and ideas in addition to tools and machines. By mid-century, technology was defined by
such phrases as “the means or activity by which man seeks to change or manipulate his environment.”
•Early humans had to develop ways to protect themselves from the elements and from other living things and
even non-living things such as fire, and most often than not, the protections worked as human continuously
journey on the surface of the earth. Indeed, in the history of technology, many inventions — such as those based on
steam power like the generators of power plants— were developed without very much in the way of science
knowledge (e.g., a kinetic-molecular theory of matter). Despite the longer history of technology design, however,
considerably more research has been conducted into the nature of science than on the nature of technology.
Nevertheless, some perspectives about nature of technology were given by Bencze (2001) that seem reasonably
include:
1. Technology may use knowledge from other fields and
contribute to work in the sciences

2. Engineering may use methods common to science

inquiry and often involves many
a. simultaneously changing and possibly interacting
variables

3. Humans often create inventions/innovations to

control phenomena; i.e., bring about changes desired
by people

4. Inventions/innovations often (or always) have side

effects, some of which may be unforeseen and harmful

5. As attempts to bring about changes to natural

phenomena, all invention/innovation is based on sets
of human values - which are likely to vary from one
community to another
• As long as there have been people, there has been technology. Indeed, the techniques of shaping tools are taken as
the chief evidence of the beginning of human culture. On the whole, technology has been a powerful force in the
development of civilization, all the more so as its link with science has been forged. Technology—like language,
ritual, values, commerce, and the arts—is an intrinsic part of a cultural system and it both shapes and reflects the
system's values. In today's world, technology is a complex social enterprise that includes not only research,
design, and crafts but also finance, manufacturing, management, labor, marketing, and maintenance.

• In the broadest sense, technology extends our abilities to change the world: to cut, shape, or put together
materials; to move things from one place to another; to reach farther with our hands, voices, and senses. We use
technology to try to change the world to suit us better. The changes may relate to survival needs such as food,
shelter, or defense, or they may relate to human aspirations such as knowledge, art, or control. But the results of
changing the world are often complicated and unpredictable. They can include unexpected benefits, unexpected
costs, and unexpected risks—any of which may fall on different social groups at different times. Anticipating the
effects of technology is therefore as important as advancing its capabilities.
 Lesson 3.2 Technological Evolution and Utilization

• We can look at the history of technology as a human-driven, parallel experiment of evolution.

Artefacts are (so far) not capable of self-reproduction, but the population-level dynamics of long-
term technological innovation nonetheless resemble biological evolution in many ways. The
design of new technologies is strongly influenced by existing technologies, and technological
change can be viewed as a process of descent with variation and selection. Both chance and the
appropriate context are required for innovations to occur.

• Taking inspiration from Radovan Richta, a Czech philosopher, the history of technology was divided into 4
distinct eras:
1. The Era of the tools. 3. The Era of Automation.

2. The Era of the Machines. 4. The Era of Artificial Intelligence.

 The Era of the Tools.
Fire is a tool. A tool that man learned to
leverage to maximize chances of survival at an
individual level but that as a whole helped the
species thrive. Paleolithic Revolution (2.5 million –
10,000 BC): Stone tools (200,000 years ago), Fire
(~1000000 years ago), Clothing and shelter were
invented in this era. Neolithic Revolution (10,000
BC – 300 AD): The discovery of agriculture
allowed for the feeding of larger populations. What
triggered the progression from early Neolithic
villages to the first cities, such as Uruk and first
civilization. Metal tools and Wheel (4000 B.C.) was
created during this era. Medieval & modern
history (300 AD - Present): During the middle age
innovations such as silk, the horse collar and
horseshoes in the first few hundred years after
the fall of the Roman Empire.
The Era of the Machines.
• At some point man moved from tools to
machines.
The fundamental difference is that while
still relying on man’s input machines were
able to replace output of energy directly
from man. Once again, this single event
increased the likelihood of survival as a
species. Industrial Revolution of
technological discovery, particularly in the
areas of agriculture, manufacturing,
mining, metallurgy and transport, driven
by the discovery of steam power. Such
innovations like the electric motor, light,
advancements in medicine, chemistry,
physics and engineering.
 The Era of Automation
• Over the last 60 years man have seen the explosion of
the 3rd wave of technology. The one catalyzed by
computers that gave rise to automation.
• Automation describes a wide range of technologies
which reduce human intervention in processes.
Human intervention is reduced by predetermining
decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and
related actions — and embodying those
predeterminations in machines.[1]
• Automation, or automatic control, includes the use
of various control systems for operating equipment
such as machinery, processes in factories, boilers,
and heat-treating ovens, switching on
telephone networks, steering, and stabilization of
ships, aircraft, and other applications and vehicles
with reduced human intervention.
 The Era of
Artificial Intelligence
• The present population are approaching the 4th wave. One of
intelligent machines. They can outright replace man in many of the
physical and mental tasks we carry everyday. Men are now on the
verge of a radically transformative era. One that is unlike any man
have ever come to witness in history of mankind. The fruits of
man’s creativity and design are the technical leaps that will enable
us to move far beyond our biological limits until the point when
new Intelligence that we now call Artificial might take the keys
and run with it.
• Technological Evolution is Accelerating. Biological evolution had to
endure many bumps in the road to have mankind (and other
species) emerge the way it did. Man will transcend itself with
Artificial Intelligence that will enhance human [if it doesn’t destroy
human] to become one super human. Of course, man can be
skeptical but the trends don’t lie. And by the same account, it is
extremely plausible that within the next 20 years, man will be
experiencing the collapse of the ‘work-based’ society which must
be cared about by the population in the lower class of the society.
 •In the technological practice strand, the emphasis is on knowing how. Students
are given opportunities to engage in their own technological practice and to reflect
on the practice of others. Students gain a sense of what they may be able to achieve
as they undertake their own technological practice to find solutions to identified
needs and/or realize opportunities. Their practice is enhanced as they embed
philosophical ideas encountered in the nature of technology and technological
knowledge strands. In common circumstances, technological practice has the
following components:
1. Planning is the up-front and on-going thinking that enables a fit-for-purpose
outcome to be developed. It is an essential part of all technological practice.
Planning should consider:
2. the physical and sociocultural environment of an outcome
3. the context the technologist will be working in; and
4. Effective planning enables technologists to systematically account for all the
factors that influence the successful fulfillment of a brief. It also supports
reflection and decision making.
Brief development • A brief is a concise
document that explains
what is wanted and why
(the conceptual statement)
and lists the characteristics
that an outcome must
demonstrate to be
acceptable (the
specifications). Brief
development is a dynamic
process – an initial brief is
progressively refined to
describe and justify the
outcome that has been
developed.
 Outcome development and evaluation

The development of a technological outcome (product or system) starts with the generation of design ideas and ends when the realized
outcome (completed prototype) is evaluated prior to use in situ (the predetermined context). This complex process requires a wide range of
constructive skills and knowledge; for example, to communicate design concepts and work with materials and components. Data obtained from
functional modelling and prototyping provide a basis for justifiable decision making, ensuring that the final outcome, when produced, should be
fit for purpose as described in the brief.
Outcome development and evaluation can be thought of as the design, production, and evaluative practices of technological practice.
Lesson 3.3 The Theory of
Technological Evolution
• Evolution is a view of the Distant Past, the
Present and the Far Future. Technology
(which Richta defines as "a material entity
created by the application of mental and
physical effort to nature in order to achieve
some value") and quoted by Masee (1993)
described that technological evolution
theory evolves in three stages: tools,
machine, automation. This evolution, he
says, follows two trends:
 Development:
• The pre-technological period, in which all other animal species remain
today - aside from some avian and primate species - was a non-rational
period of the early prehistoric man. The emergence of technology, made
possible by the development of the rational faculty, paved the way for
the first stage: the tool. A tool provides a mechanical advantage in
accomplishing a physical task, such as an arrow, plow, or hammer that
augments physical labor to more efficiently achieve his objective. Later
animal-powered tools such as the plow and the horse, increased the
productivity of food production about tenfold over the technology of
the hunter-gatherers. Tools allow one to do things impossible to
accomplish with one's body alone, such as seeing minute visual detail
with a microscope, manipulating heavy objects with a pulley and cart,
or carrying volumes of water in a bucket.
• The second technological stage was
the creation of the machine. A
machine (a powered machine to be
more precise) is a tool that
substitutes part of or all of the
element of human physical effort,
requiring only the control of its
functions. Machines became
widespread with the industrial
revolution, though windmills, a type
of machine, are much older.
 Artificial Intelligence
•The history of AI (Artificial Intelligence) is quite short

Lesson 3.4
and shows that this field has progressed a lot in sixty years.
Indeed, we went from the first computer that could do some
calculations to very sophisticated machines. The first
machine to show its AI capabilities was Deep Blue, an IBM

New and
supercomputer that beat world chess champion Garry
Kasparov in 1997. Then there was Watson’s AI developed by
IBM, which won a game show “Jeopardy!” by answering
questions in natural language. And finally, AlphaGo, the AI of

Emerging
Google DeepMind, who beat the world champion of the
game of Go, Lee Sedol knowing that the game of Go is a
game much more complex than that of chess.

Technology
•The AI is already used in several fields, for example in
the medical with Watson that helps doctors to make
diagnoses. There are also autonomous cars that use AI to
gain a certain level of autonomy on the road. Virtual
assistants inside smartphones, PCs, or connected home
speakers like Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, Google’s
Google Now, Samsung’s Galaxy S8’s Bixby and Amazon’s
Alexa also use AI based on learning of our habits in order to
provide relevant information according to the context.
In the technological practice strand, the emphasis is on knowing how. Students are given opportunities to
engage in their own technological practice and to reflect on the practice of others. Students gain a sense of
what they may be able to achieve as they undertake their own technological practice to find solutions to
identified needs and/or realize opportunities. Their practice is enhanced as they embed philosophical
ideas encountered in the nature of technology and technological knowledge strands. In common
circumstances, technological practice has the following components:

1. Planning is the up-front and on-going thinking that enables a fit-for-purpose outcome to be
developed. It is an essential part of all technological practice. Planning should consider:

2. the physical and sociocultural environment of an outcome

3. the context the technologist will be working in; and

4. Effective planning enables technologists to systematically account for all the factors that
influence the successful fulfillment of a brief. It also supports reflection and decision making.
 • A brief is a concise document that
explains what is wanted and why (the
conceptual statement) and lists the
Brief characteristics that an outcome must
demonstrate to be acceptable (the

development specifications). Brief development is a

dynamic process – an initial brief is
progressively refined to describe and
justify the outcome that has been
developed.
 •The development of a technological
outcome (product or system) starts with
the generation of design ideas and ends
when the realized outcome (completed
prototype) is evaluated prior to use in
Outcome situation (the predetermined context).
Data obtained from functional modelling

development
and prototyping provide a basis for
justifiable decision making, ensuring that
the final outcome, when produced, should
and be fit for purpose as described in the
brief.

evaluation •Outcome development and evaluation

can be thought of as the design,
production, and evaluative practices of
technological practice.
 Lesson 3.3 The Theory of Technological Evolution
• Evolution is a view of the Distant Past, the Present and the Far Future. Technology (which Richta defines as
"a material entity created by the application of mental and physical effort to nature in order to achieve
some value") and quoted by Masee (1993) described that technological evolution theory evolves in three
stages: tools, machine, automation. This evolution, he says, follows two trends:

1. Development: The pre-technological period, in which all other animal species remain today - aside from
some avian and primate species - was a non-rational period of the early prehistoric man. The
emergence of technology, made possible by the development of the rational faculty, paved the way for
the first stage: the tool. A tool provides a mechanical advantage in accomplishing a physical task, such as
an arrow, plow, or hammer that augments physical labor to more efficiently achieve his objective.

2. The second technological stage was the creation of the machine. A machine (a powered machine to be
more precise) is a tool that substitutes part of or all of the element of human physical effort, requiring
only the control of its functions.
Lesson 3.4 New and Emerging Technology

• Emerging technologies include a variety of technologies

such as educational technology, information technology,
nanotechnology, biotechnology, cognitive science,
psychotechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence.
Emerging technologies are technologies whose
development, practical applications, or both are still
largely unrealized, such that they are figuratively
emerging into prominence from a background of
nonexistence or obscurity.
1. Big Data

• Big Data refers to a very large set of data or a massive volume of

data. Every day we produce a lot of data, such as emails, social media
posts, online articles and videos, GPS signals and more. This dataset
is thus Big Data. Faced with this huge amount of data, we must be
able to navigate and process the data. Big Data is in fact the ability to
process large volumes of information with more and more standard
computing means.
2. Artificial Intelligence

The applications and markets of the AI concern:

•a. The recognition of static images, their classification and marking

• Web giants want to use the AI to collect and analyze images hosted on their servers to find them more easily.
•b. The use of trading algorithm to improve financial performance
• The financial sector is interested in AI to anticipate financial opportunities and risks with trading algorithms that deal with stock
indices and geopolitical factors.
•c. Object detection and classification to avoid collisions and navigation
• Autonomous cars need to identify, detect obstacles and track objects to be able to drive on the road.
a. Treatment of medical data of patients
• In the medical field, this would detect certain diseases in some patients before the manifestation of the disease
•e. Learning of some tasks by robots
• Some tasks could be learned by robots without the need to program them for that.
•f. Predictive maintenance in IT and the industry
• Anticipating possible computer failures or industrial products can save time and money for companies.
•g. The identification of images by the textual request
• Find an image through a text query.
•h. Automatic detection of geophysical characteristics
• This detection would anticipate bad weather such as storms, cyclones, tsunamis or earthquakes.
•i. Distribution of content on social networks
• The display of content adapted to the preferences of the user.
•j. Object identification, detection and tracking
•k. Prevention against attacks related to cybersecurity
• The military sector is also interested in AI to integrate it into weapons and drones, which raises many controversies about
autonomous weapons that could accelerate conflicts.
3. Self-Driving Cars and 6 Autonomous Driving Level

• Electrification, autonomous driving and connectivity are the three

factors that will shape the future of the car, that is to say the
autonomous and connected electric car. The electrification of cars
will solve the problem of pollution and noise of current cars.
Autonomous driving, will greatly reduce the number of accidents.
The connectivity will allow passengers to consult information
(weather, road traffic, etc.) and to take care during the journey.
4. Blockchain

•The blockchain is a technology for storing and transmitting

information, transparent, secure, decentralized, and operating without
a central organ. In short, it is a kind of digital data management
protocol, a large secure and transparent database. The blockchain can
be seen as a kind of account book or register that contains a list of all
exchanges made between users.
5. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

• Virtual reality means to create a user immersion in a 3D virtual

world in which he can move and interact. Augmented reality is to use
the real world to display 2D or 3D information such as images,
numbers and texts with which the user can also interact. This
augmented reality technology actually superimposes virtual
elements to the real world, so the real world is augmented with
digital information to provide more detail to the user about his
environment.
6. 3D Printer (Printing Revolution)

• In recent years, 3D printing has become possible thanks to 3D

printers. 3D printers follow the same principle as 2D printers, but
instead of printing ink on sheets of paper, the 3D printer prints
objects by superimposing thin layers of materials such as plastic,
clay, resin and others. From a 3D software or a 3D scanner, it is
possible to model objects and then print them with the 3D printer.
The printing possibilities are immense with the 3D printer, it is
practically possible to print all possible forms. The only constraints
are the size of the printer and the imagination of the user.
The End