Technology

This note is about the concept of technology, human and nonhuman.

Cf.

Knowledge
Expertise
engineering
tool making and use
Information

Technology is key concept in design. It supports what commentators often describe as the key human ability to have and manage future, as per ‘good enough’.1

However, technology does not only belong to humans and has evolved as a strategy in many nonhuman systems.2

Design, self-design, self-organisation and production of recipes, know-hows or technologies in ‘natural’ system can be interesting for human-centred design but is especially relevant for more-than-human design.

The desired outcomes of more-than-human design need to fit into existing, complex, historically defined nonhuman and more-than-human systems. Cf. biomimicry approaches. However, it is important to note that natural systems have a lot of redundancy, slack, random and non-adaptive elements that can be neutral or even detrimental to organisms/individuals.
Complexity is interesting and valuable as such, for example in habitat structures/geometries
Understanding of nonhuman technologies allows alignment with natural lifecycles and, therefore, opens potential for better, more systematic lifecycle management. However, it is again important to note that many natural systems are very wasteful, based on excess.

Computing is important here as a driver of innovation.3

Re: definition parametric/generative. The modern CAD systems are constraint-based models in which every element may be connected by means of parameters, relationships and references.

Here is an attempt to align bioinspiration with knowledge-based design.4

Definitions

A uniformitarian approach that does not separate between nonhuman and human technologies.

Aunger, Robert. “Types of Technology.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 77, no. 5 (2010): 762–82. https://doi.org/10/fg45xt.

Technology is the use of tools to increase efficiency or convenience, reduce risk, open new ways to exploit resources.

McGrew, William C. ‘Animal Tools’. In Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics, edited by Carl Mitcham, 77–79. Detroit: Macmillan Reference, 2005.

The application of knowledge and skills to achieve a desired goal or solve a problem.

Technology in Design

Problem solving

Problem:

an unwanted initial state
a desirable end state
obstacles to get from one to the other.

Problem definition involves a formal description of the initial state and the end state. Problem solving is removing the obstacles.

Design and 'Nature'

Human engineering: existing problem and the need to find a solution.

'Natural' design: existing solution and the need to find a problem it solves.

Innovation

Can we generalise and say that technology is interesting because of innovation? An ability to solve problems that are otherwise intractable.

In that case, it becomes important to be able to:

Innovate systematically
Assess the quality of innovation
Innovate in response to diverse stakeholder needs
Track innovations over continuous time

Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), especially in a comparison of human engineering and biological evolution is interesting here. In application to eco-innovation (but this is typically still anthropocentric). To look up.5 Another one.6 Another one.7

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Engineering (LCE)

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Six Gamma…

Figure 1. This is from a dodgy article that provides some background...8

This one is from Sivan.9

Examples

Spider webs
Stigmergy and ant hills
Birds use twigs, grass, feathers, mud, and other materials to weave nests that shelter their eggs and young. Some birds also use tools, such as sticks or stones, to obtain food or attract mates
animal architects, cf. Animal Design
Termites use saliva, soil, and feces to construct elaborate mounds that provide ventilation, thermoregulation, and protection from predators and parasites
Bees use wax to build complex honeycombs that store honey and pollen, regulate temperature and humidity, and communicate information about food sources and threats
Honey bees (Apis cerana) use animal feces as a tool to defend colonies against group attack by giant hornets (Vespa soror) 10
Disabled parrots using pebbles for preening 11
Self-handicapping with tools, for example covering eyes in Balinese long-tailed macaques to solicit play 12
Elephants use branches, leaves, mud, and water to create fans, umbrellas, sunscreens, and insect repellents. They also use sticks and rocks to scratch themselves, dig for water, or throw at enemies.
Octopuses use shells, rocks, algae, and other debris to create shelters or camouflage themselves from predators. They also use coconut shells or bottles as portable hiding places or vehicles.
Bacteria use plasmids to exchange genetic information and acquire new traits, such as antibiotic resistance or bioluminescence. They also use biofilms to form complex communities that adhere to surfaces and resist environmental stresses.
Plants use photosynthesis to convert light energy into chemical energy that fuels their growth and reproduction. They also use hormones, pigments, toxins, and other substances to regulate their development and interactions with other organisms.
Fungi use hyphae to form networks that transport nutrients and signals across long distances. They also use spores to disperse themselves and colonize new habitats.

References

Arthur, W. Brian. The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves. New York: Free Press, 2009.

Aunger, Robert. “Types of Technology.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 77, no. 5 (2010): 762–82. https://doi.org/10/fg45xt.

Bogatyrev, Nikolay, and Olga Bogatyreva. “BioTRIZ: A Win-Win Methodology for Eco-Innovation.” In Eco-Innovation and the Development of Business Models: Lessons from Experience and New Frontiers in Theory and Practice, edited by Susana Garrido Azevedo, Marcus Brandenburg, Helena Carvalho, and Virgílio Cruz-Machado, 297–314. Cham: Springer, 2014.

Buzuku, Shqipe, and Iuliia Shnai. “A Systematic Literature Review of TRIZ Used in Eco-Design.” Journal of the European TRIZ Association 2, no. 4 (n.d.): 20–31.

Leon, Noel. “The Future of Computer-Aided Innovation.” Computers in Industry 60, no. 8 (2009): 539–50. https://doi.org/10/d2mj3j.

Milo, Daniel S. Good Enough: The Tolerance for Mediocrity in Nature and Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2019.

Navas, Helena V. G. “Radical and Systematic Eco-Innovation with TRIZ Methodology.” In Eco-Innovation and the Development of Business Models: Lessons from Experience and New Frontiers in Theory and Practice, edited by Susana Garrido Azevedo, Marcus Brandenburg, Helena Carvalho, and Virgílio Cruz-Machado, 81–95. Cham: Springer, 2014.

Sheu, D. Daniel, Ming-Chuan Chiu, and Dimitri Cayard. “The 7 Pillars of TRIZ Philosophies.” Computers & Industrial Engineering 146 (2020): 106572. https://doi.org/10/gj2crq.

Sivan, Hemanth, and Karuppusamy Kanthavel. “TRIZ: A Perfect Tool for Process Innovation by Tackling Engineering Contradictions.” IOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, 2014, 21–26.

Trotta, Maria G. “Bio-Inspired Design Methodology.” International Journal of Information Science 1, no. 1 (2012): 1–11. https://doi.org/10/gjz98b.

Harwood, Stephen, and Sally Eaves. ‘Conceptualising Technology, Its Development and Future: The Six Genres of Technology’. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 160 (2020): 120174. https://doi.org/10/ghnr3n.

Mitcham, Carl. Thinking Through Technology: The Path Between Engineering and Philosophy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994.