Technologies That Have The Biggest Impact On Civilization

An innovation which I believe has had the biggest impact on civilization that is over 100 years old is the crankshaft. The earliest invention of the crank appears in mid-9th century in many hydraulic devices described by the Banū Mūsā brothers in their Book of Ingenious Devices. The crankshaft was invented in 1206 by an Islamic scholar named Al-Jazari who lived in northern Mesopotamia and is now northeastern Syria and Iraq. This is a simple device that converts rotary into reciprocating motion. It consisted of a wheel setting several crank pins into motion with the wheel’s motion being circular and the pins move in a straight line. The Romans used a similar tool as this, but it did not have the capability of turning circular motion into linear motion. The crankshaft helped shape a huge part of the modern world because one of the most popular places it is used in is the automobile. There are many other modern machineries that crankshafts are used in such as a water-raising machine and a steam locomotive’s wheels. In a water raising machine, a rod is placed horizontally over water. A bucket is tied to the rod by a string. When the rod is turned by a crank the string wraps around the rod raising the bucket. Even though Al-Jazari had a great invention the machines he created with it were overly complex. The crankshaft was not fully used until the 1500’s and people understood it more. Back then it was used in mills and torture devices along with other effects. Nowadays crankshafts are in internal combustion engines in automobiles. Automobiles have been a huge use on a daily basis, it’s what’s inside that really counts. According to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, “The engine consists of a fixed cylinder and a moving piston. The expanding combustion gases push the piston, which in turn rotates the crankshaft. ultimately, through a system of gears in the powertrain, this motion drives the vehicle’s wheels. ” The crankshaft is the backbone of the internal combustion engine and it has been a big helpful improvement in technology.

A technology that has had the biggest impact on civilization within the past 100 years would be in vitro fertilization, which is a reproductive technology. It was invented in 1978 It works by using a combination of medicines and surgical procedures to help fertilize an egg and lets it get implanted in a women’s uterus. I would say this is a technological advance that is only done on females, but the results can be beneficial to both males and females. It has had an impact on civilization because it is a way for a female to get pregnant in case they are having complications with their body that they cannot control, such as infertility. There are pros and cons to every technological advance, as well as this one.

This invention is being used in many countries around the world. It has revolutionized females’ lives’ in many ways. There are debates about people not supporting this invention because they prefer a traditional family and ways of starting a family. As society is growing recently, relationships are not only male and female, but also male and male, and female with female. This makes it difficult to conceive children and make a family, but in vitro fertilization is an enormous help. An article named “Social aspects in assisted reproduction” by Sozos J. Fsouliotis states, “. . . findings from recent studies suggest that all of these ‘new’ aspects of family structure may matter less for children’s psychological adjustment than warm and supportive relationships with parents and a positive family environment. ” This proves that in vitro fertilization will not affect the way a child will see their family. This invention has been around for about thirty years and although there are risks to it, it will be available for those who are seeking it.