By Beth Stubbings
With every single manmade item being produced due to some level of engineering involvement, it is clear that the science behind engineering plays a pivotal part in modern society. Since the Industrial Revolution, society and its inventions have evolved at an alarming rate, and individuals no longer find technological advancements or new inventions particularly amazing, and instead view them as the norm.
With advances in technological developments, and the invention of new products failing to inspire or be acknowledged by most, it is understandable how everyday examples of great engineering regularly get overlooked and ignored, despite the fact that they really are truly amazing. Here are three examples of everyday engineering that should be celebrated but are often ignored.
Buildings
There are some buildings in the world that are marvellous architectural innovations, and then there are some that easily get overlooked. When we think of great buildings, we instantly imagine skyscrapers and unusual designs like London’s Shard (site no longer available), but often neglect to acknowledge our own humble homes as amazing structures.
When learning of the effort and planning that goes into designing and building even the most basic of family homes, and how much we all benefit from the roof over our heads, we can quickly come to realise just how amazing the structural engineering behind a house actually is. Without the carefully designed parts, and load-bearing specially chosen materials, a house would not stand, and it is thanks to the foundations of engineering that our homes manage to stay upright.
Transport
Buses, cars, trains, even bicycles were all created thanks to the designs of engineers and scientists, and have quickly become something society takes for granted. While we can thank engineering for the existence of vehicles and transportation due to the invention of the steam engine during the Industrial Revolution, we can also thank it for the improvements in vehicle safety.
With the manufacturing development of CNC engineering, vehicle parts have become more precise, meaning that there a lowered chance of accidents caused by production faults. When previously, vehicle parts were welded together, it is now more common for manufacturing plants to use CNC engineered parts that have been drilled and bored from a solid block of material, therefore making them stronger and sturdier, making the vehicle they are used in are structurally safer than those of the past.
Mobile Phones
Another example of great engineering in everyday items is the now common mobile phone. Although still an incredibly new piece of technology, with the first mobiles being used just 30 years ago, the mobile phone is continuing to rapidly be developed, with statistics showing that the majority of people in the western world now own and feel reliant on smartphones.
Also using CNC engineering, the parts of a smartphone are carved from a block of material, making the components created highly accurate and precise. With the 24 hour constant production abilities that CNC machines have, industry giants such as Apple and Nokia can continually be producing parts to make their branded smartphones to meet with the increasing market demand.
