How to Make Use of Old Technologies

The modern world has beguiled us with the promise of new and enthralling technologies. These technologies have become so sophisticated and efficient that the old ones are no longer appealing. With this continuous stream of innovation, we are inexorably discarding and throwing away the previous gadgets that have become obsolete in today’s time. But let’s not forget that these outmoded things (gadgets or equipment) were once amazing and cutting edge technologies that served us in many ways. With the rapid increase in population the natural raw materials are depleting and the finite nature of our planet’s resources means that humans have to think of ways to make use of these old plants, machines or gadgets. Apart from recycling or moving those to the landfill there are many other ways to make use of those items and many companies are working on it. We will be covering all these in this blog. Let’s discover these new ways that might help you to broaden your perspective. You might end up creating an unusual gadget from these bygone products that will fit into today’s era.

1. New ways to use diagnostic port

The cars that were made in the mid 1990's consisted of a diagnostic port that was of little use for the car owner. However, mechanics used it to test and check vehicles’ information and system through it. A company known as Lemur Monitors has introduced data port devices that serve and function in an entirely different manner. One such device is called EconoDriver that monitors and keeps a check and balance over your vehicle's consumption of gasoline. Another such equipment known as the AlertDriver helps you with over speeding. It alerts you through an alarm that automatically blares when you drive above 56 km/h in the cities or 112 km/h on the highways.

2. Finding the trapped miners through magnetic wave generator

Nikola Tesla came up with the idea of creating a device to transmit signals for the purpose of above ground communication in the 1890s. However, he failed in his experiment as it produced signals that were strident and had limited range. Later on in 2000's engineers incorporated this idea into a device which helped to transmit signals underground through the rocks, mines and earth to detect the presence of miners who get stuck and to communicate with them. This magnetic generator known as the MagneLink Magnetic Communication System was capable of transmitting and receiving messages 1550 feet below the ground.

3. Using natural fertilizers to restore infertile land

In many countries government departments along with the environmental experts are working on composting to bring back the soil and land to life that has been damaged by human activities such as logging, soil erosion or by floods. Natural vegetation has depleted in many forests and wetlands because of shortage of nutrients in the soil. Composting is making natural fertilizers by collecting heaps of tree trimmings, grass, peelings of fruits and vegetables, table scraps, rotten and fallen leaves, sludge and materials that are left after logging etc. Microorganisms and worms then work on them to turn it into fertilizer. This fertilizer is rich in nutrients such as zinc, phosphorus, nitrogen, iron and potassium. It was used in ancient times, but now with the help of new systems and technologies the old system is being incorporated again. Through large scale composting projects, the land gets restored through these fertilizers and soil becomes stabilized. The vegetation grows back again, natural wetlands, forests and land becomes suitable for cultivation and habits are preserved again.

4. Components of computers are now being used in spacecraft

Both the manned and unmanned spacecraft that countries send in outer space have components and computer software that handles its major functions. But these are not as strong as the ones that are in the latest gadgets that we carry. However, the old computer chips are safe to use in outer space as those are well protected against high radiations. The Hubble Space Telescope used the old Intel 486 processor which was efficient enough to be used for more than 20 years. This took scientists away from the brain racking work of testing and developing new components and checking their reliability.

5. Remodeling of Flywheel

Flywheel is a kind of a disk that was previously used to maintain a constant rotational speed of the shaft. Beacon Power is a company that has now used it to provide smooth flow of electricity in the power plants. With powerful magnets, the wheels can spin at a faster speed. These flywheels store the excess energy in the power plants which is then utilized and pumped out when needed.

Our natural resources are on the verge of depletion. By effectively utilizing the technology and natural resources we can save this planet.