The technological artifacts They are the devices conceived and created by man deliberately to solve needs or facilitate certain tasks, using the virtues of technology and science for their construction and operation. For example: wheel, blender, GPS.
Technological artifacts are usually moveable material objects, dedicated to fulfilling a specific function, which generally seeks to expand the material limits of the human body.
Examples of Technological Artifacts
- The wheel. Although it may not seem like it, the wheel is one of the very first technological artifacts in the history of mankind. His invention is lost in the memory of time, but it is vital for the emergence of later technologies and for the development of the first human machines, precursors of today’s technology.
- The book. Another unsuspected technological invention, due to how accustomed we are to it and how old its initial designs are, the book is the textual support par excellence and it is impossible to produce it without specialized technical machinery, the printing press.
- Blender. Initially named as vibrator by its North American inventors, it is one of the most common appliances in contemporary kitchens, allowing the creation of more or less uniform mixtures of various foods and substances.
- Television. One of the great artifacts of the 20th century, whose impact on human life revolutionized the way we understood communication and information. It is an artifact for receiving and reproducing audiovisual signals, the final part of a whole system for capturing images whose origins date back to cinema and photography.
- Microwave oven. Another appliance that is popular in our times, operates on food by generating electromagnetic waves with a frequency of about 2.45GHz, enough to heat and even cook.
- Hairdryer. Although the first dryers were stationary and cumbersome, the portable dryer that we all have today dates back to the first decades of the 20th century. Its operation has improved since then, but it is still one of the devices with the highest electrical consumption in any contemporary home.
- Heater. Although one of the first uses of electricity was the generation of light, with it came the generation of heat. The various possibilities of electric stoves or water heaters that operate based on the principle of electrical resistance are proof of this.
- Electric guitar. Invented in 1931, it is the first musical instrument that uses the principle of magnetic induction to emit sounds, in this case, from the vibration of a set of metal strings.
- Photographic camera. The origin of the photographic camera goes back to the end of the 19th century, when the business of technically capturing the image began to be an achievable dream. The contemporary camera is the result of the technological evolution of modern optics, chemistry and computerization.
- Remote control. Remote controls are commonly used technological gadgets in various industries today, such as automotive, television and other home appliances, and even the toy industry. It is made possible by electronic manipulation of infrared and radio signals.
- Video camera. The logical step after the camera and the invention of television and cinema. Capturing moving images, converting them into electronic signals and storing them on a portable device is so common nowadays that we don’t even notice the wonder that such a possibility entails, unthinkable just a century ago.
- Computers. The great technological revolution of the late 20th century would have been impossible without modern computers, formidable devices compared to the calculators and punch card systems that once were. As a fast, multifaceted tool and data management system, it forever revolutionized human work and social relationships, spawning a whole range of “smart” artifacts.
- Mobile phone. This electronic wireless device, capable of connecting to a telephone and data transmission network, today allows multiple additional functions and has become an indispensable tool in contemporary life. It is estimated that today there are the same number of active cell phones as there are people in the world.
- Secondary storage memory. Floppy disks, cassettes, Compact Discs (CDs) or DVDs, and now removable memories (flash drive), portable secondary storage media are indispensable gadgets in today’s hypercomputerized world, as they allow you to physically carry all kinds of digital information with you.
- GPS. The Global Positioning System It is a safe and fast way of satellite location in any part of the earth, with a range of variable precision. Its military origins (the US Department of Defense) did not prevent its commercialization and application to other types of technological devices, such as cars or smartphones.
- Smart watch (smart watch). The evolution of the electronic wristwatch, in turn a contemporary version of the classic wristwatch. These watches go beyond the mere functionality of electronic timekeeping (which is saying enough), incorporating many “smart” computing options.
- ebook reader. A modern version of the book, with the capacity to house a large number of documents, books and even photographic images, all pointing to a traditional reading model, but incorporated into the use of digital storage.
- music players. Keeping pace with computerization and secondary media, portable music players are a common and popular accessory, ever since they became tiny and convenient, to the point of being carried in a pocket.
- Firearms. Unfortunately, the need to do damage has also nested in technology. New forms of automatic and even computerized weapons used in wars and other forms of violence are constantly emerging.
- Lanterns and portable lamps. Light, that great human need, has been domesticated thanks to science and technology. We have tiny devices capable of illuminating an entire room, or focusing its light on a certain beam as a signal.
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