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10 Australian Innovations That Changed The World!

10 Australian Innovations That Changed The World!

Thursday April 04, 2019,

6 min Read

Technological world has come very far away and it is still progressing further each day. One simply cannot imagine his/her life without the gadget, tools and technology we have today. We are now surrounded by technological jungle and we cannot escape it, there are dozens of appliances that we use every day and without some of them the people cannot operate. When we come to think of technology our mind drifts to supercomputers, robots and spaceships but technology is much more than that. Every day scientists and engineers strive to come-up with newer and faster technology which if not is life-altering at-least have a lasting effect. In the last two decades we have witnessed the rapid evolution of technology and numerous scientist and researchers have contributed to that, among them Australia is one of technological pioneers of the world besides opera there are many technological discoveries of Australia that one should know.

Here I will list down some of the Australian technologies and gadgets which have significantly impact on the technological world and in many ways have transformed the way of living:


Black Box Flight Recorder



This small box is now part of every plane around the world, but what is black box actually? First of all, black box is not black in color but it is bright orange which make it easy to find in plane crash site ruble. The purpose of this box is to record all the conversation of pilots and staff during crash. These recording then later can be used to find the reasons for plane crash. The box is indestructible and helps investigators to get to the source of the problem. The black box flight recorder was invented by Australian scientist Dr. David Warren who lost his father to the plane crash. At first the black box installation was made compulsory for Australian planes but now they are part of every plane. Black boxes are commercially manufactured in USA and UK.


Google Maps



It is hard to imagine travelling without google maps, it can point you to hotels, café, hospitals any place you name it, google map will point you in the right direction in seconds. Since its invention it has been used by thousands daily to navigate around the world. It is more efficient than physically maps and provide with you will all possible routes estimating the travelling time as well. The google maps was invented by two brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen in early 2000s in Sydney. Along with two other Australians Neil Gordon and Stephen Ma they developed a company named 2 technologies which was later sold to Google. In recent years the google maps use have risen and now approximately 124000 use it around the world, 456502 people in USA use google maps every day.


Wi-Fi Technology



It is tough to see the world without Wi-Fi! From cellphone to TV to cars we can now see numerous devices infused with Wi-Fi which has enabled to connect with each other. It has enabled the use of internet outside of one place which has changed the dynamics of living. The Wi-Fi was also invented in Australia in 1992 by John O Sullivan and CSIRO originally for astronomical research. However, now 4.1 billion internet users and about 62% users access internet through their phones and other gadgets.


Racecam



Today when you see races you can see both views; one from the audience perspective and another from drivers. You are able to see track and view from driver’s outlook through incredible Racecam, which was introduced in 1979 in Australia channel 7 for the very first time. Now you can see Racecam being used in other sports activities as well.


Plastic Spectacle Lenses



The spectacles were first made of glass which was prone to breaking easily, in 1960 Australia Sola optical launched first plastic lens for glasses which was scratch resistant, durable and more lightweight. Because of its success the technology further progressed to make bifocal, trifocal and progressive focus lenses. Now they are common around the world.


Electronic Pacemaker


Electronic pacemaker is small device which enable heart to beat properly. The pacemaker sent electrical impulses to heart to help it maintain a regular beat. This life saving device was designed by Dr. Mark Lidwill and physicist Edgar Booth in 1920’s. Every year more than 1000000 electronic pacemakers are installed worldwide.


Ultrasound Scanners



The ultrasound scanner uses echo technology of ultrasound waves for imaging of soft tissues of patient in real time. This non-ionizing technique which can be damaging in some cases has allowed to doctors to maneuver into patient’s inside without side effects. This is one of the reasons why ultrasound is frequently used in prenatal care as it easily scans the progress of fetus without any harmful radiations. It was developed and commercialized by Ausonics Australian Company. The ultrasound scanners have become one of the vital imaging devices in medicine because it is portable, gives access to real time imaging and is non-invasive.


Stainless Steel Braces



We all pearly white straightened teeth, and braces play a significant role to attain them. It is estimated that 4.5 million Americans which mostly includes teenagers wear braces every year. Though the process is painful and gradual but they are very effective and has changed millions of smiles around the world it totally has changed orthodontics. These life-savers were invented by Percy Raymond Begg collaborated with Metallurgist Arthur Wilcock in 1956.


Power Boards


Long, long time ago people had only one electrical socket to connect their devices and appliances. Because of one socket only a machine worked at a time but this all changed when power boards came into picture. We all have seen power boards in homes and offices we use them everyday to charge and to use multiple gadgets and devices at the same time by connecting it to single socket only. In 1972 Peter Talbot, working under Frank Bannigan at Kambrook developed power boards.


Gene Slicing


The gene slicing technique is used to slice a particular gene from RNA. This technique can eliminate unwanted genes which can later develop into abnormalities and combat diseases. A CSIRO team led by Dr Peter Waterhouse discovered gene slicing in 1995. Since then it has changed the game plan of biotechnology. We can see scientists and researchers manipulating genes through this technique to make a breakthrough every day.

There are many technologies that have been invented in Australia but these are some of the inventions that have impacted the world in a big way. These technologies have pretty much shaped the life we are living today and have played a part in bringing world technology where it is today. Most of these devices and technologies comes in handy for everyday use and you get your hands on them by visiting nearest store. You can also save few bucks by using your saving coupons to get discount on your order.

Hope these innovations will inspire you to contribute to the list of innovations and technologies. Tell us in the comments below which of these innovations do you think has impacted you and how? Which of these technologies do you use frequently?