The first article I wrote for The Odyssey was about my phone and how it has consumed my life. I think it is important to focus on all forms of technology though and how the world around us is changing everyday due to technological advances.
I am only 21, and the new developments that I have already seen throughout my life blows my mind. When I was younger, we brought disposable cameras on vacation and had to plug our laptops into the phone line to use dial up Internet. Now, we can take our photos and videos and go online no matter where we are, as long as we have a phone.
As a fashion major, I see these technological advances being made in the fashion industry as well. As part of a Trend Forecasting class assignment, we went to the Museum of Fine Arts to see an exhibit about technology and fashion and how they are meshing to create one-of-a-kind designs to send down the runway. Of these designs, we saw garments and accessories that were created via 3D printing, garments that had moving parts, garments cut with lasers and garments with lighting fixtures embedded in them.
This concept of technology and fashion is new and innovative and embodies the trends that are happening throughout society today. Manual labor is a thing of the past for most mass-market companies in the world today.
I went into an UNO’s Pizzeria and Grill a couple weekends ago with some friends and we were able to order our drinks and appetizers from an iPad-like gadget that sat on our table. Instead of a sheet with the specials on it, this gadget had the specials scrolling across the screen. When we wanted to order something, we just typed it in and found that item in the list. If we had a question, we could also use this device to call our waiter over. It’s scary to think that within our lifetime, servers at restaurants could be a thing of the past. With this new technology, we could type our orders into these devices and be served by robots.
These types of robots already exist in the hospitality industry. Several hotels use them for small items being delivered by room service. These butler robots are also used in hospitals now as well. There are sensors in them that will open doors, summon elevators and can detect where they are going.
Hospitals have other technology that they actually use for medical purposes as well. A very close friend of mine suffers from Spinal Muscular Atrophy and is in a power chair because she is unable to walk. She has scoliosis and has already gone through several invasive surgeries in an effort to manually extend her spine as she grows. They are preparing in the coming months for another surgery where all new hardware will be inserted into her back. From then on, every two or three months, she will go back to her doctor where they will place a magnet on the outside of her back and will extend the rod inside her using just that magnet.
Some of the new inventions that are coming out are absolutely incredible, especially ones that improve the medical field. It is scary however, to think about where our world is headed. Almost every industry and every field incorporates technology into their daily work. In my short life, I have gone from dial-up Internet to Wi-Fi everywhere I go, portable CD players to iPods, and have experienced so many other advances. As we look down the road, I hope to be able to still pick up a magazine and read it rather than buy an online subscription. I hope to be able to go to work and actually work rather than a robot or an app on a phone take my job. My mom has always said how she hates technology and that it is just a phase. I’m not so sure about it being a phase, but she is definitely on to something with how bad technology really can be.
