On July 21st, 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon. 50 years on as we celebrate their milestone achievement in aeronautics, and our companies inspiration of space and time, HFX looks back at some of the technological developments that followed this historic feat.
- DNA testing – scientists began sequencing DNA molecules in the late 1970’s. by 2003 all DNA sequencing was completed.
- Electric Car – although electric cars have been around since the 1920’s, it wasn’t until 2008 when tesla revealed their first model that an electric car that did not have significant obstacles for production or sales.
- Fibre optics – from the 1970’s the quality of optical fibres improved enough to allow is use in communication appliances, quickly becoming the preferred choice for telecommunication and networking.
- Laparoscopy (non-invasive laser and robotic surgery) – the first minimally invasive surgery was carried out in 1987, while in the 1980’s lasers were discovered to be able to cut organ tissue. These developments helped make surgery more precise and safer.
- Photovoltaic solar energy – developments in photovoltaic solar energy in response to the oil embargo and energy crisis in the 1970’s has led to commercial solar power plants as well as individuals having the ability to heat their own houses and buildings.
- IEEE 802.16 – antenna which can transmit internet access up to a 30-mile radius at speeds comparable to DSL and cable broadband.
- Mobile Phones – 1983 Motorola introduced the first widely available handheld cell phone.
- GPS – in 1978, the first satellite in the modern Navstar Global Positioning System, GPS, was launched. In 2000 President Clinton granted non-military users access to an unscrambles GPS signal.
- Cloud Computing – a term first mentioned in 1996 in a Compaq document has been in existence since 2000 whereby Apple, Google and NASA have all had interpretations. Cloud Computing is the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage and computer power without a direct active management by the user. At HFX this particular development now enables us to offer a fully SaaS workforce management solution, whereby we have the capability to provide customers the use of our applications on a cloud infrastructure.
In an age where technology is ever developing, not only with new applications and development of existing technology, it is unfathomable to think that while brave astronauts were walking on the moon, back on earth DNA mapping hadn’t started, electric cars becoming part of the normal motor vehicle landscape was a wish and you still had to wait 13 years before mobile phones were to become widely available. With progressive technology it’s important to recognise how far developments have come to progress further. For without developments of the past you would not now have the latest developments from cloud-based software to technology that’s yet to be developed.
As we celebrate those who ventured into the unknown, we must recognise those behind the front line, the developers and engineers who made the Apollo 11 mission a success. Without those who had not contributed their part with forward thinking, technology and software would not be where it is now.
To find out more about our workforce management solutions visit: www.hfx.co.uk
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