Introduction
Systems Technology is often defined as a set of components interconnected with each other so as to transform, store or control energy, information or some materials. The genesis of such systems is from the human effort of design and innovation and all sorts of systems in technology undergo gradual upgradation through further human input. Technology exists in and is part of almost every aspect of our daily lives. It is the technology which has helped in growth of civilizations and aided the development of advanced economies.
History
The technological systems are defined as those systems where there is no need to have a human input so as to produce any desired output. Thus all technological systems are designed to include less and less human involvement. All systems technology consists of some basic concepts of input, output, transformation and control. A simple example technology at work is that of a machine, let’s say a fan. Here the electricity is passed into it as an input. The output is the desired outcome of the rotation of blades so as to produce a movement in the air.
The input of technological systems often include raw materials, information or energy, which are transformed to produce any desirable output. The transformation is the process that occurs within the system and is this process ensures the production of desired results through control of the input material or information. The control is the mechanism that enhances the efficiency of the systems technology. It maximizes the desired output and reduces the undesired ones and adjustments to the transformation process is also a method of control.
Features
Some of the landmark examples of systems technology which are part of our daily lives are the fan mentioned earlier, the telephone and the car. The telephone is an instrument which produces voice at another location from the input of information at one end. The newer invention of mobile phones, the wire free devices one can take with him or her anywhere and do the same as that of a conventional phone is an example of the evolution of the systems technology. The new innovation, information technology systems has also spurned other advancements in the area of telecommunications and finance. Apart from that the motor vehicle is also referred to as the greatest invention in the field of technology. The cars and other vehicles enabled the ease of transportation of people and goods and helped speed up and give rise to developments of other technological systems. Cars today are loaded with a lot of technology systems aimed at increasing the safety of the driver (ABS, Air Bags etc.) to luxury features (like air conditioning and car music systems) and even GPS which help you find the destination of choice.
Tips and comments
There has been criticism to systems technology too. The reduction in human effort and our increasing dependency on machines is often viewed with skepticism and doubt. There are thinkers and philosophers that predict one day the humankind would be controlled by technology and not the other way round as it is supposed to be. Many stories and movies revealing the horror of technology and it being an evil that man created are present and paint a vivid picture of ill effects of over dependency on it.
