Technology advances mankind, and it changes the world. Take a look at some of the most significant technological inventions.
Telephone
The telephone changed the world in 1876. It allowed long-distance communication. Alexander Graham Bell invented the phone, and his only regret was that it didn’t allow the deaf to see words as others heard them. However, Robert Weitbrecht invented the teletypewriter (TTY) in 1964, and typed messages could be sent via the telephone. Today, smartphones make it possible for the deaf to see speech. The telephone has evolved over its existence to make communication more accessible for all.
Speech Synthesizer
Speech synthesis is the technology behind Amazon’s Alexa, voice-guided navigation, and other systems. The beginning of this technology was in 1939 at the New York World Fair when Homer Dudley displayed his Voder, which was a speech synthesizer that made sounds when he pressed keys like a piano and pedals.
Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist, used a voice synthesizer after his speech was affected by ALS, and Roger Ebert used it after a tracheostomy. This tech helps blind people and others with speech and sight disabilities.
Automatic Doors
Today, it is easy to take automatic doors for granted, and they were first designed a long time ago. Heron of Alexandria, a Greek mathematician from ancient Greece, designed one using pulleys, water, and fire.
However, automatic doors today were designed by Lew Hewitt and Dee Horton of Texas. Automatic doors do so much, from reducing heat and cooling costs to saving space and making it more convenient. People who need canes, wheelchairs, and more can get through them effortlessly. They are a great example of universal design that makes environments accessible to all people.
Keyboards
The keyboard is a necessary part of the computer. Although most people know the QWERTY layout, there are others. The Maltron layout is considered more ergonomic, and it leads to more accurate typing. There are many others, including vertical keyboards that allow people to type using a mouth stick or a head stick. There are Braille keyboards for people with vision impairment.