3 April

Technology You Use Every Day And Probably Don’t Realize It

Technology is an integral part of all of our lives. If you care to disagree, just consider all the technology it took for you to read this article. Even without the blatant impression of technology, your daily routine likely involves some level of tech.

Take a few minutes to explore the various ways in which your life is saturated with technology every day. Here is a quick breakdown of some of the modern tech tools you probably don’t even realize you utilize.

Chemical filtration

You may not think that you have a hand in chemical filtration on a regular day, but you do. If you’ve ever bought a can of air, then you’ve taken part in oxygen membrane module filtering. It sounds pretty complicated, but the process is extremely integral to our world today.

Springs

If you have pressed a key on your keyboard, changed the temperature on your thermostat, or driven your car to work today, then you’ve used the technology of springs.

Your keyboard buttons are spring-loaded. Your thermostat may use a snap-action spring switch to adjust the settings, and your car uses huge springs for proper suspension.

Lasers

You’re probably not equipped with a lightsaber, but you do use lasers every day. The use of lasers has become so necessary in our society that they are virtually ubiquitous.

Your Blu Ray player uses lasers to read the disk. A barcode scanner (like the ones offered by companies such as Code Corp) uses lasers to read the barcode on any product you buy. Your computer mouse uses a laser for spatial orientation.

Electromagnetism

You already understand how the cool magnets on your refrigerator work, but you use electromagnetism in other ways throughout the day without even really being aware.

RFID Chips

You likely commute to work on a regular basis. If you live in a big city, you probably also have an E-ZPass (or something to the effect) to pass easily through toll roads and highly congested areas.

Your E-ZPass uses a radio frequency identification chip to send a signal to an electronic reader at the pass-through point. Your information and validity of your pass is instantly assessed, and you don’t get a ticket.

Radio waves

You don’t have to turn on your car stereo to utilize radio waves. Your wireless router is using them right now. Your laptop or smartphone contains a wireless adapter that sends out radio waves to communicate with your wireless router.

The most likely way you utilize electromagnetism is when you use the touch screen on your smartphone or other mobile device. It’s cool to know that your phone uses your body’s electric charge to activate the capabilities of your touchscreen.