If push came to shove, what would you be willing to give up?
Don’t worry. We’re not asking you to choose between your children, or even your favorite foods (although, as we’ll see, some of those are more tenuous than you might realize). This is all about the “helping” technologies most of us use every day.
Think about it for a few minutes and you’ll realize just how many of these technologies exist. Some are so obvious that they’re easy to overlook, like indoor plumbing or electricity. Others are still new enough that we’re not quite ready to take them for granted, like WiFi — invented within many readers’ lifetimes and only popularized in the past two decades by innovators like Sky Dayton and John O’Sullivan — and mobile phones.
Whether they’re old news, new news or somewhere in between, what’s clear is that all of these indispensable technologies have woven themselves into the fabric of our lives. We could literally live without them, at least for a while, but life would be a lot less comfortable and far less enjoyable.
1. The Steam Turbine
The not-so-humble steam turbine was the literal engine of the Industrial Revolution, which sparked the greatest increase in living standards in human history.
Today, the steam turbine is not quite as central to our lives, but it’s still critical to some manufacturing industries, electric power generation, and some other “background” processes that make modern life possible. If it and when it leaves the scene entirely, it’ll still deserve prominent mention in the history books as an early innovation that enabled so much.
2. The Internal Combustion Engine (And the Electric Motor)
If you drive a car or ride the bus to work, chances are (still) high that you depend on the internal combustion engine. And even if you drive an electric car or ride an electric bus — as more and more of us do — you depend on people and goods moved by internal combustion trucks, vans, cars, and other vehicles.
Internal combustion powers all manner of heavy equipment too, including mining and manufacturing vehicles that stand atop many global supply chains.
3. Indoor Plumbing and “Separate Sanitation”
It’s not just that indoor plumbing and sanitary sewers make our towns and cities less gross to live in, although that certainly doesn’t hurt. Much more important is the fact that indoor plumbing and “separate sanitation” (including septic systems in more rural areas) have greatly cut down on the incidence of preventable but serious diseases like cholera and e. Coli.
That is, in wealthy countries like the United States. Sadly, hundreds of millions of people around the world still lack access to these basic necessities of life, and they suffer too much as a result.
4. The Haber-Bosch Process
The whoosit-what process? Don’t worry about getting the pronunciation right. Just know that this is one of the most important chemical reactions you’ve never heard of (and, no offense, will probably never fully understand).
Why is the Haber-Bosch process important? Because it’s the foundation of modern fertilizer production, which in turn makes it one of the pillars of commercial agriculture. Without it, the world’s food resources would be far less abundant.
Scratch that: Were the world’s population held constant and the Haber-Bosch process were to suddenly stop working, the world most likely wouldn’t have enough food. Period.
5. Asphalt Production
Like the steam turbine, the internal combustion engine, and now the electric motor, asphalt is a cornerstone of modern mobility.
After all, safe, stable roads are critical for the high-velocity movements of people and goods we all depend on for modern safety, sustenance and comfort. Whether you’re hopping on the freeway to head into the office or waiting on a delivery truck to bring the latest impulse buy to your doorstep, asphalt makes it possible.
Keep that in mind next time you silently curse the road construction crew for making you late to the game.
6. Fiber Optics
This is a newer innovation that uses the awesome power and speed of light to empower global communication in the literal blink of an eye. From basically nothing back in the 1980s, fiber optic networks today traverse untold thousands of miles, serving hundreds of millions of homes and businesses around the world while enabling commerce in previously unreachable places.
7. Wireless Internet
Wireless internet, also known as WiFi, was developed back in the 1970s but didn’t become widespread until the 2000s, when entrepreneurs like Sky Dayton developed the first “hotspot” networks and in-home wireless connectivity became cost-effective.
If you’re old enough to remember the days of the “wired” internet, to say nothing of landline-based connections, you don’t need to be told how much of an improvement this is. And if you’re not, well, take the oldsters’ word for it.
8. Mobile Computing
Like WiFi and fiber optics, mobile computing was a thing for many years before it really took off. It wasn’t until the debut of the iPhone that people really began to see the potential beyond high-value business niches. Today, most of us walk around with devices in our pockets that would have passed for supercomputers not 40 years ago.
The Next Big Thing Is Right Around the Corner
The newest of the indispensable helper technologies on this list has only been “everywhere” for 10 or 20 years, depending how you count. Given that some of them have been around for centuries, it’s fine to ask whether we can take a breather between the next round of world-changing innovation.
Fine to ask — if you’re prepared for a hard “no.” The next big things are coming to life as we speak, from groundbreaking strides in AI that could lead to the elusive goal of artificial general intelligence, to the exciting developments in the world of nuclear fusion that could one day unlock a nearly limitless source of clean energy, to advances in propulsion that could lead us to the stars faster than we ever dreamed possible.
In fact, were we to make this list 20 years from now, it would most likely look different. Maybe almost entirely different — not that we’re keen to give up indoor plumbing anytime soon.
Also Read: How Niche Technologies are Propelling Businesses Forward
