Technology is discussed thoroughly in our previous article. There are many types of technology around us. We all utilize technology for different purposes in one way or another. We can’t live by depending on a single technology type and avoiding others. So, it is essential to be aware of different categories of technology in order to be informed of the latest updates in the tech world. So, we prepared this list for you to help you determine the differences between the latest tech gadgets and services, as well as to identify which tech category they belong to.
Categorizing technology is pretty hard, because most of them can be associated with one or more types. If we take televisions for example, it could be considered as something that provides entertainment and also information. Just like that, it ranges from the types of keyboards you use to the types of 3D printers on your desk. As there are no ground rules on how to properly categorize these gadgets or technological advancements, it could be hard deciding the accurate category they belong to.
Table of Technology Types, Description, and Examples
| Technology Category | Description | Examples of Technology |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Technology | Technologies used in healthcare for analyzing diseases, reducing pain, and treating illnesses. | Stethoscope, Nebulizer |
| Assistive Technology | Technologies that assist people with disabilities in performing tasks and improving their abilities. | Hearing aids, Scooters with extra wheels |
| Entertainment Technology | Technologies for entertainment purposes, such as musical instruments and audio devices. | Guitar, Headphones |
| Productivity Technology | Technologies that enhance productivity in various industries, including machines and 3D printers. | Machineries, 3D Printers |
| Teaching Technology | Technologies used in education to enhance teaching and learning experiences, including apps and customized tablets. | App limiters, Customized tablets |
| Communication Technology | Technologies enabling communication and information exchange, such as smartphones and email. | Smartphones, Email |
| Information Technology | Technologies for storing, accessing, and processing information, including computers and automated backup systems. | Computers, Automated Backup Systems |
| Architecture Technology | Technologies applied in architectural design and construction of buildings and structures. | Burj Khalifa, Apple Park |
| Transportation Technology | Technologies related to transportation, such as public train systems and GPS for navigation. | Public trains, GPS |
What are the Types of Technology?
We did our best to put them in the appropriate sections. Including every single possible scenario is beyond the scope of this article. Hence, this guide could be considered as a quick start to your journey of finding different types of technologies around us.
1. Medical Technology
Medical Technology is one of the most important varieties of technology. It involves the machinery and services related to medical science powered by technology. There are different types of medical technologies such as instruments to analyze diseases, gadgets for reducing pain, and medications for treating and curing diseases. All are helpful to protect us from dangerous viruses and bacteria, thus improving our lifespan. Some of the medical technology equipment are given below.
1. Stethoscope
A stethoscope is an acoustic medical device. It is used for auscultation or listening to the internal sounds of the human body without undergoing any surgeries or advanced treatments. Stethoscopes are also being used in animals for treatment. You might see it with almost any doctor you might encounter in the hospital, that’s how common and vital a stethoscope is for treating a patient.
2. Nebulizer
A nebulizer is used to provide medical drugs via a mist inhaled into the lungs. This is one of the most common medical equipment seen in most hospitals to treat diseases such as asthma, COPD, or other lung diseases.
2. Assistive Technology
Assistive technology is also a recognized form of technology that helps people with disabilities by assisting them to do particular tasks. As we already know, it is extremely difficult for people with leg problems to walk, people with hearing issues to listen to us, people with blindness to see what we see. The assistive tech gadgets help them to have all the abilities a normal person has, either by fitting to their body or as external accessories. For example, the automated self-controlled wheelchair is a perfect example of assistive technology. Here are some more examples of assistive technology.
1. Hearing aids
A hearing aid can improve the hearing ability of deaf people to a great extent. With the help of some most advanced hearing aids, a person with hearing trouble could perceive sound almost the same as a normal person. This helps them to live a normal life like a normal person without any disabilities. It can be attached to the ear, as you can see in the image above.
2. Scooters with extra wheels
Unlike wheelchairs which only allow traveling inside the home or a particular location, there are different types of self-balancing scooters available on the market. They will come with two extra wheels which help to ride them like a car. Persons with physical disabilities can take advantage of this.
3. Entertainment Technology
In this technology categories list, entertainment technology would probably have the widest collection of gadgets in it. It ranges from the speakers on your desk to the guitar in your music class. These tech gadgets provide a way to relax away from the stress of daily life. Entertainment technology inventions such as software is used to build video games, set up theaters, produce movies, and much more. It is very difficult to avoid this technology type in our day-to-day life. Here we provided some entertainment technology devices.
1. Guitar
The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments out there. The pleasant sound it produces is capable of providing incredible relaxation to the users. We can see the presence of a guitar in many musical videos we enjoy today.
2. Headphones
Unlike speakers, headphones keep all the sound inside it and exhibit it directly to the ears. Any external disturbances will affect the quality of the listening as well as the headphone music playback will not be hearable from the outside environment.
4. Productivity Technology
Productivity technology is one of the forms of technology mostly taken advantage of by the business industry. It includes various gadgets and tech stuff that helps to improve the productivity of a business or other types of firms. It enhances occupational activities such as mining, manufacturing, fishing, etc. by helping out people in completing various tasks. Likewise, it also consists of software tools and other intangible parts that help the hardware to function properly by accepting the instructions of the users. Productivity technology has great relevance when it comes to industrial level production of goods and materials. Below are some examples of productivity technology.
1. Machineries
Machines anywhere in the world, in any factories, in any sector of the industry, can be considered as a great productivity boost. Any machines that boost the performance of human work, do it more accurately, and reduce the cost is a great example of productivity technology.
2. 3D Printers
3D Printers help designers to produced real-life 3D objects by printing the 3D design created using a software. This is one of the most advanced technologies which has great relevance in interacting with 3D models of objects rather than through a screen.
Modern technology helps to improve productivity to an extent beyond our imagination. With or without our knowledge, everything around us is moving hundreds of times faster than it would without the help of technology.
5. Teaching Technology
Teaching technology is also one of the most important types of technology. A classroom utilizes a considerable amount of technology, from the digital whiteboard to the presentation projector. So, for a smart tech school, implementing such things is necessary to grab the attention of the students all the time without making them bored. Teaching technology includes various gadgets as well as apps and software. The apps have a crucial role in providing customized learning materials to the students and teaching materials to the teachers. Here are some examples of teaching technology.
1. App limiters
As we’ve mentioned in our previous article on the advantages and disadvantages of technology, educational gadgets can be utilized for entertainment purposes also. To prevent this, there are plenty of apps available on the play store as well as in the iTunes store. The SureLock Kiosk Lockdown and the OurPact – Parental Control & Screen Time Manager are two good examples.
2. Customized tablets
Numerous governmental organizations produce customized tablets for students. They will have certain limitations which will increase their productivity as a student.
6. Communication Technology
Communication technology is one of the most essential factors in this modern technology era. No matter how far or how near you are from the receiver, today’s communication advancements can deliver any voice or video calls without any interruptions. The 3G, 4G, and now 5G technologies are keeping to improve with boosted speeds and efficient transfer. Mobile phones, computers, fax, emails, text messaging tools, etc. are all examples of communication technologies in our daily life. However, the list elongates unlimitedly.
1. Smartphones
Smartphones utilize cellular networks to send and receive communication signals from the nearest towers. It is one of the widely used and popular communication technologies out there.
2. Email
Email is an internet-based communication technology which familiar to most internet users. The speed of transportation makes it more reliable than Fax and other communication methods.
For those who are interested in knowing more, we have written an article on types of communication technology. That will give you a better idea about the technological viewpoints in the area of communication.
7. Information Technology
Information technology is a familiar type of technology for us. It is a set of hardware and software which helps to store information and access it based on a set of instructions provided by the users. Information technology is widely used to automate systems accurately and thus increase productivity to a great extent. Organizations use this for improving their customer support services and earning reputations in the industry. Even Banks are working utilizing information technology tools.
1. Computers
The greatest invention of the 20th century, computers are everywhere. To process information and make human tasks infinitely easier, computers are being used in almost every sector of human life. Computers exist in different forms such as PCs, Laptops, Tablets, etc.
2. Automated Backup Systems
The automated backup systems will backup the files on a selected drive or system to make sure that the files will be safe in case of any hardware failure or virus attacks. The backups will run on a regular basis like Hourly (For a highly secure system), Daily, Weekly, Monthly, etc.
Information technology has been providing us with tools and knowledge to enhance the way we live in this world. In fact, technology, in general, has improved living standards to a great extent. For things beyond the reach of human capabilities, IT has been our sword to accomplish the unthinkable. A combination of different types of information technology made this possible.
8. Architecture Technology
Architecture technology is another type of technology that applies modern technology to designing buildings. From the smallest building to the large industrial factories are built with the help of architectural technologies. Engineers design cutting-edge building designs to make sure of a solid foundation and beauty utilizing the latest technology gadgets. Architecture technology is one of the most crucial tech types that no one can live without. Without proper architecture, no building is going to last for long. These are some examples of architectural technology.
1. Burj Khalifa
No introduction is required for the world’s tallest building. The most important building today, measuring 830 meters from the root to the tip. Consisting of 163 floors, this ginormous building requires extreme precision and cutting-edge architecture to stand still on nothing but pure sand.
2. Apple Park
The new Apple campus costs around $5 billion to build, this beauty of a building is the perfect example of modern architecture. Built with glass and beautiful materials as Apple does on their products, this campus could accommodate around 12,000 employees.
No matter what type of architecture you are looking at, you would always be wondering, realizing how far we have come as a civilization. From building dirt houses to building structures that could withstand an earthquake.
9. Transportation Technology
Traveling from one place to another has always been a great focus of mankind. From the point we invented wheels, we have been innovating and re-inventing transportation tools to make it easier for us to travel. Hence, transportation technology played a great role in the development of our society and is directly responsible for a lot of improvements we have made in other tech categories such as production technology. Some examples of transportation technology are:
1. Public trains
In many countries, mass transportation using trains works flawlessly in contributing to the daily traveling needs of the citizen. Countries such as Japan are great examples of a well-implemented public train system.
2. GPS
The Global Positioning System can be also considered a great example of modern transportation technologies. Beyond the regular traveling needs, the GPS system has been serving us with various transportation needs by allowing us to accurately measure our position on a global scale.
Conclusion
In this article, we classified the technology into different categories. Technology has a very important role in our daily life. So, let’s all be grateful for the long way we have come.