The Technology of Infrastructure: A Few Examples
You may not think a whole lot about infrastructure. But you probably think a lot about technology and how it affects your daily life. What could expand some of your world views is to think about how technology and infrastructure intersect, especially as it relates to some of the things that you do as regular habits.
Think of a few examples of where technology plays a vital role in infrastructure concepts. You see people putting up cell phone towers to help with infrastructure, allowing the latest technology to come to your mobile devices. The technology of plumbing and different kinds of pumps helps with your water and sewage systems. Every time anyone constructs or fixes a highway, that is using infrastructure technology. And as people build modern homes and offices, that is a final example of how infrastructure and technology meet together.
Cell Phone Towers
New cell phone technologies are on the way with the onset of 5G services. This is a huge infrastructure development and one that will be ongoing for many years to come. When it is complete, the potential for mobile devices is going to be exponentially better than it is now, which creates a fantastic pathway into the future for you and other cell phone users.
Plumbing and Pumps
How much do you think about the infrastructure of plumbing systems? Probably not a whole lot. But you would be surprised to recognize how much technology goes into that entire system. The latest technology allows for much better crafting of pumps from an industrial perspective, and that then relates to the convenience and cost that you pay after these projects have been completed. Without advanced plumbing technology, sewage infrastructure would be a mess, and whole societies would suffer as a result.
Highway Construction
If you can get over the frustration of having to slow down on the highway, you can look at projects where new roads are being built and be utterly fascinated by what you see. The types of machines and technology that go into the process are absolutely incredible, and when projects are completed, that gives you a smooth drive to wherever your destination may be. If you rally against these technological improvements, you are only creating more delays and slowdowns in your future as infrastructure crumbles.
Modern Buildings
And finally, whenever new, modern buildings are put together, technology and infrastructure are at the core of that as well. There are fascinating examples of 3D printers that are now being used to build houses. Though this is not mainstream yet, when it becomes a cultural norm, people have much higher quality housing for a fraction of the price because everything is so automated as far as structural elements go. Look for this to be an improvement in the human condition as time goes forward.