Tell us about tech that changed the world!

Mammography

When we talk about tech innovations that have reshaped our world, I think mammography takes #1 place in the field of women’s health. This technology has revolutionizd the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. Mammography, a specialized medical imaging technique using X-rays. This early detection is crucial, as it significantly increases the chances of successful treatment and survival.

The origins of mammography can be traced back to the advancements in X-ray technology, which were pioneered by scientists Marie Curie. While she did not invent mammography, her discovery of radioactivity laid the founation for X-ray imaging, and as a result - of mammographic technology.

Thanks to mammography, millions of women have been able to detet breast cancer at its earliest stages. This technology has empowered women to take proactive steps in their health care, making early diagnosis and timely treatment possible.

Awesome entries everyone! You listed everything I could think of, but I want to highlight one more piece of technology from medicine that has saved millions, if not billions, of lives over the last 96 years (1928-2024), and that is Penicillin and Antibiotics.

Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. He made this discovery at St. Mary's Hospital in London, United Kingdom. I think all of you have taken this type of medicine at least once in your life to fight or prevent dangerous diseases. Doctors use them not to combat actual diseases, but to prevent infiltration during surgery and other medical manipulations. In some cases they are mandatory.

Personally, for me, it was an undeniable lifesaver. Twenty years ago, I fell ill with a deadly disease, and without antibiotics, my chances of survival were nearly zero.

Here is a link to a movie, The Discovery of Penicillin (1964), which covers the history of that invention.

My submission is the Microprocessor and whilst there is some debate on who invented it there's no doubt on the impact it has had on the world. The first commercial microprocessor was designed by Federico Faggin in 1971 and since then they have been added to thousands of every day household items that traditionally never had a computer including things like household appliances, vehicles,toys, light switches, smoke alarms and so many more things. The Microprocessor allowed so many technology's to evolve, it has made a huge difference to the world for being something that is so small and it's something that we don't always think about being there.

I think Virtual Reality was a huge advancement that helped in so many ways that people don’t even think about. Yes, it immerses us in to our favourite games so much more than before. But it’s also used by the army, in medical and other hands on careers for training purposes, allowing people to get experience of situations that aren’t the easiest to simulate in real life. This is just the beginning and it’s going to keep developing and helping in so many other ways that haven’t been though of yet

When I think of technology that has fundamentally altered how we live, work and interact, the one most of us tend not to think of consciously but one that I find fascinating every time I use it is the lift!

Created originally as manually operated elevators, the hydraulic lift has become so widely used in our daily lives that they now just feel part of the structure of society naturally in many areas, from offices to stations and so many other public places.

The best part is how safe they are and how well they work despite the occasional trope of being stuck in the lift happening from time to time, as they have made millions of trips up and down buildings for years across the world. All that and still horror movies make lifts feel so terrifying to be stuck in!

Making it so much easier to get from one level to another isn't even where this incredible invention stops, as now there are more developments being worked on for lift technology to become electromagnetically powered without the need for counter weights, cables or pulleys!

There's even the idea of multidirectional lifts that travel both vertically and horizontally becoming a thing in the future, which will probably blow the mind of any Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fans out there too!