101-1030: Garmin Ltd. (shortened to Garmin , stylized as GARMIN , and formerly known as ProNav ) is an American, Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in Lenexa, Kansas , United States, with operational headquarters in Olathe, Kansas . Since 2010, the company is legally incorporated in Schaffhausen , Switzerland. The company specializes in GNSS technology for automotive , aviation , marine , outdoor , and sport activities. Due to their development in wearable technology , they have also been competing with activity tracker and smartwatch consumer developers such as Fitbit and Apple . In 1983, Gary Burrell recruited Min H. Kao from
202-571: A Scottsdale , Arizona based company that provides aircraft performance software for over 135 airlines worldwide. The company will continue to operate under the AeroData brand. Burrell retired in 2002 as Garmin's chief executive officer and in 2004 retired as co-chairman of its board of directors . He remained chairman emeritus until his death in 2019. Kao became CEO in 2003, and chairman in 2004. In 2005, Forbes estimated Kao's net worth at $ 1.5 billion. He has donated $ 17.5 million to
303-482: A mixer which helped them to hide their cryptocurrency exchanges, to launder over $ 20.5 million in cryptocurrency, from Axie Infinity , and steal over $ 600 million worth of cryptocurrency from the game's owner. Because of this, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Blender.io, which marked the first time it has taken action against a mixer, to try to crack down on North Korean hackers. The privacy of cryptocurrency has been debated. Although many customers like
404-686: A 2.6" touch screen. The 35t model designation is not used in Europe, but the European market 35 is essentially the 35t, and both the European 25 and 35 include Garmin TopoActive Europe maps and 8GB of internal storage. resolution, color & touch The Geko series was a compact line of handheld GPS receivers aimed at the budget or lightweight hiking market. In 2004, Garmin introduced its 60C line of handheld GPS mapping receivers, featuring increased sensitivity and storage capacity along with
505-538: A battery life of up to 30 hours in battery-save mode. This was followed by the 60Cx and 60CSx with improved color map displays. With the GTM-11, GTM 20 and GTM 25, a Garmin GPS device receives and uses traffic message channel (TMC) information. Also, some Garmin nüvi (1690, 1490T, 1450T, 1390T, 1390, 1350, 1260, 1250 and 265WT, 265T, 265W, 265, 255w and 255) comes with an integrated TMC receiver. In 2003, Garmin launched
606-780: A combination of digital technologies and human editors to verify travel information and map details. DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer is an extension for vehicular GPS or online mapping sites, allowing a traveler to browse and highlight the desired route and the possible activities or excursions along the way or at the destination. DeLorme’s Topo software is one of the sources of North American trail, logging road, and terrain data for outdoor enthusiasts. Topo 10 has US and Canada topographic maps and elevation data with more than four million places of interest. Topo includes comprehensive park, lake, river and stream data for all 50 states. DeLorme continues to sell paper atlases, with more than 20 million copies sold to date. Founded in 1976, DeLorme
707-478: A critical role in science , engineering , and everyday life . Technological advancements have led to significant changes in society. The earliest known technology is the stone tool , used during prehistory , followed by the control of fire —which in turn contributed to the growth of the human brain and the development of language during the Ice Age , according to the cooking hypothesis . The invention of
808-632: A facility in Cary, North Carolina as part of the Research Triangle Park . Garmin operates in several other countries besides the UK, USA, and Taiwan. It operates as Formar (Belgium), Garmin AMB (Canada), Belanor (Norway), Trepat (Spain), and Garmin-Cluj (Romania). The company's first product was the GPS 100, a panel-mounted GPS receiver aimed at the marine market, priced at $ 2,500. It made its debut at
909-494: A fitness smartwatch for runners that was the first wrist-based GPS trainer. In 2005, Garmin launched nüvi, its first compact car navigator. In 2006, Garmin released its first GPS-enabled cycling computer, Edge. That same year, the company introduced a new corporate logo, and opened its first retail store, located on Michigan Avenue in Chicago , Illinois. In 2007, the company introduced its first touchscreen marine chartplotters,
1010-481: A line of sonar fishfinders , including some units that also have GPS capability, and some that use spread spectrum technology. Technology Technology is the application of conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals , especially in a reproducible way. The word technology can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible tools such as utensils or machines , and intangible ones such as software . Technology plays
1111-458: A ransomware strain called WastedLocker later confirmed. Hackers reportedly demanded a $ 10 million ransom from Garmin. The company instituted a "multi-day maintenance window" to deal with the attack's impacts. Some Garmin online services began to function again on July 27, 2020, though delays in synchronising data with connected applications were expected; Strava anticipated a delay of "a week or longer". Experts speculated that Garmin had paid hackers
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#17328017169511212-457: A reported $ 10m ransom, or brokered some other kind of deal. The outage meant Garmin could not receive calls or emails, or conduct online chats. Athlete users of Garmin wearables could not track mileage, location, heart rate, and other data. Pilots were unable to download data for Garmin aircraft navigational systems, preventing flight scheduling. Garmin said there was "no indication" that personal information had been stolen. In 2010, Garmin opened
1313-486: A result, philosophical and political debates about the role and use of technology, the ethics of technology , and ways to mitigate its downsides are ongoing. Technology is a term dating back to the early 17th century that meant 'systematic treatment' (from Greek Τεχνολογία , from the Greek : τέχνη , romanized : tékhnē , lit. 'craft, art' and -λογία , 'study, knowledge'). It
1414-410: A rise in extremism, while others see it as an opportunity to usher in a post-scarcity economy . Some segments of the 1960s hippie counterculture grew to dislike urban living and developed a preference for locally autonomous , sustainable , and decentralized technology, termed appropriate technology . This later influenced hacker culture and technopaganism . Technological utopianism refers to
1515-411: A rise in social media's cultural prominence, with potential repercussions on democracy, and economic and social life. Early on, the internet was seen as a "liberation technology" that would democratize knowledge, improve access to education, and promote democracy. Modern research has turned to investigate the internet's downsides, including disinformation, polarization, hate speech, and propaganda. Since
1616-517: A role. The invention of writing led to the spread of cultural knowledge and became the basis for history, libraries , schools, and scientific research. Continuing improvements led to the furnace and bellows and provided, for the first time, the ability to smelt and forge gold, copper, silver, and lead – native metals found in relatively pure form in nature. The advantages of copper tools over stone, bone and wooden tools were quickly apparent to early humans, and native copper
1717-521: A source of ideas. Futures research methodologies include survey research , modeling, statistical analysis , and computer simulations . Existential risk researchers analyze risks that could lead to human extinction or civilizational collapse, and look for ways to build resilience against them. Relevant research centers include the Cambridge Center for the Study of Existential Risk , and
1818-494: A stock price of $ 14 per share. Twenty-one years later on Dec. 7, 2021, the company transferred its listing to the New York Stock Exchange. By 2000, Garmin had sold three million GNSS devices, and was producing 50 different models. Its products were sold in 100 countries and carried by 2,500 independent distributors. As of August 22, 2000, the company held 35 patents on GNSS technology. By the end of June 2000,
1919-809: A subsidiary of United Parcel Service, Inc., expanding its product line of panel-mounted GPS/NAV/COMM units and integrated cockpit systems for private and commercial aircraft. The acquired company changed its name to Garmin AT, Inc. and continued operations as a wholly owned subsidiary of Garmin International, Inc. Garmin has acquired Dynastream Innovations, EME Tec Sat SAS ( EME ), and Digital Cyclone. Dynastream, in Cochrane, Alberta , produces personal monitoring technology ( ANT+ )—such as foot pods and heart rate monitors for sports and fitness products—and also ultra-low-power and low-cost wireless connectivity devices for
2020-495: A two-year study with the U.S. Space Force. Under the study, over 6000 Garmin Forerunner 55 and Instinct 2 Solar watches were given to members of Space Force (known as Guardians). The study aims to answer the question of whether or not regular active fitness testing can be replaced by fitness assessments made with data from the smartwatches. In addition to their health and wellness features, the watches were chosen because they have
2121-820: A wearer’s steps and learns an individual’s activity level in order to adjust daily goals. 2014 was also the year that Garmin acquired the New Zealand company Fusion Electronics Limited and its subsidiaries. After the acquisition, the company, which sold integrated marine audio products and accessories, became known as Garmin New Zealand Ltd. In 2015, Garmin launched Panoptix, the first product to provide real-time live sonar for anglers. A year later, in 2016, Garmin acquired DeLorme , which gave Garmin DeLorme’s inReach satellite communication technology with interactive SOS messaging. The inReach Satellite Communicator had been
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#17328017169512222-661: A wide range of applications ( ANT ). EME Tec Sat SAS is the distributor of Garmin's consumer products in France; following the acquisition, EME changed its name to Garmin France SAS. Digital Cyclone Inc (DCI), located in Chanhassen, Minnesota , provides mobile weather solutions for consumers, pilots , and outdoor enthusiasts. Garmin also bought Nautamatic Marine Systems, an Oregon-based company that makes autopilot systems for boats. In July 2011, Garmin finished its acquisition of
2323-466: Is always beneficial, that scientific openness is always preferable, or that they can afford to wait until a dangerous technology has been invented before they prepare mitigations. Emerging technologies are novel technologies whose development or practical applications are still largely unrealized. They include nanotechnology , biotechnology , robotics , 3D printing , blockchains , and artificial intelligence . In 2005, futurist Ray Kurzweil claimed
2424-499: Is an interdisciplinary subfield of ethics that analyzes technology's ethical implications and explores ways to mitigate the potential negative impacts of new technologies. There is a broad range of ethical issues revolving around technology, from specific areas of focus affecting professionals working with technology to broader social, ethical, and legal issues concerning the role of technology in society and everyday life. Prominent debates have surrounded genetically modified organisms ,
2525-740: Is creating both new opportunities and new obligations for us, opportunity for greater productivity and progress; obligation to be sure that no workingman, no family must pay an unjust price for progress." upon signing the National Commission on Technology, Automation, and Economic Progress bill. With the growing reliance of technology, there have been security and privacy concerns along with it. Billions of people use different online payment methods, such as WeChat Pay , PayPal , Alipay , and much more to help transfer money. Although security measures are placed, some criminals are able to bypass them. In March 2022, North Korea used Blender.io ,
2626-473: Is founded upon the "continued evolution of human life beyond its current human form" through science and technology, informed by "life-promoting principles and values." The movement gained wider popularity in the early 21st century. DeLorme DeLorme Publishing Company is a producer of personal satellite tracking, messaging, and navigation technology. The company's main product, inReach , integrates GPS and satellite technologies. inReach provides
2727-545: Is headquartered in Yarmouth , Maine , and within its headquarters is Eartha , which holds the world record of the largest revolving globe . The company was founded in 1976 by David DeLorme, who, being frustrated with obsolete back-country maps of the Moosehead Lake region of Maine , vowed to create a better map of Maine. DeLorme combined state highway, county, and town maps as well as federal surveys to produce
2828-509: Is predated in use by the Ancient Greek word tékhnē , used to mean 'knowledge of how to make things', which encompassed activities like architecture. Starting in the 19th century, continental Europeans started using the terms Technik (German) or technique (French) to refer to a 'way of doing', which included all technical arts, such as dancing, navigation, or printing, whether or not they required tools or instruments. At
2929-555: Is the sailing ship ; the earliest record of a ship under sail is that of a Nile boat dating to around 7,000 BCE. From prehistoric times, Egyptians likely used the power of the annual flooding of the Nile to irrigate their lands, gradually learning to regulate much of it through purposely built irrigation channels and "catch" basins. The ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia used a complex system of canals and levees to divert water from
3030-481: Is the largest cause of long-term economic growth. Throughout human history, energy production was the main constraint on economic development , and new technologies allowed humans to significantly increase the amount of available energy . First came fire, which made edible a wider variety of foods, and made it less physically demanding to digest them. Fire also enabled smelting , and the use of tin , copper, and iron tools, used for hunting or tradesmanship . Then came
3131-718: The American Automobile Association (AAA) to produce the AAA Map 'n Go , the first mapping product to generate automatic routing. They also introduced the DeLorme GPS receiver to work with its maps. In 1996, it introduced its maps into the PDA environment via Palm . In 1997, the company relocated to a new corporate campus in Yarmouth, Maine, that features a giant model of the world, named Eartha ,
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3232-600: The Information Age and the birth of the Internet . The Space Age began with the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, and later the launch of crewed missions to the moon in the 1960s. Organized efforts to search for extraterrestrial intelligence have used radio telescopes to detect signs of technology use, or technosignatures , given off by alien civilizations. In medicine, new technologies were developed for diagnosis ( CT , PET , and MRI scanning), treatment (like
3333-557: The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer which was printed in a large-format book with an initial printing of 10,000, which he marketed out of his car. The Gazetteer , which listed bicycle trails , canoeing and kayaking trips, and museum and historic sites, proved quite successful. The company expanded to 75 employees in 1986, working from a Quonset hut in Freeport, Maine , producing maps for New England and upstate New York . In 1987,
3434-558: The Minoans on the Greek island of Crete built a 50 km road leading from the palace of Gortyn on the south side of the island, through the mountains, to the palace of Knossos on the north side of the island. Unlike the earlier road, the Minoan road was completely paved. Ancient Minoan private homes had running water . A bathtub virtually identical to modern ones was unearthed at
3535-618: The Tigris and Euphrates rivers for irrigation. Archaeologists estimate that the wheel was invented independently and concurrently in Mesopotamia (in present-day Iraq ), the Northern Caucasus ( Maykop culture ), and Central Europe. Time estimates range from 5,500 to 3,000 BCE with most experts putting it closer to 4,000 BCE. The oldest artifacts with drawings depicting wheeled carts date from about 3,500 BCE. More recently,
3636-757: The University of Kansas Medical Center to tackle sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation . In 2019, Garmin announced the release of new technologies in several fields. In its Automotive segment, there was an all-terrain, all-in-one GPS, the Garmin Overlander; for the Marine segment, a freshwater trolling motor, the Force; and under Garmin’s Aviation segment, an emergency autonomous landing system for aircraft, Garmin Autoland. In 2020, Garmin Autoland won
3737-611: The World Economic Forum 's "The Future of Jobs Report 2020", AI is predicted to replace 85 million jobs worldwide, and create 97 million new jobs by 2025. From 1990 to 2007, a study in the U.S. by MIT economist Daron Acemoglu showed that an addition of one robot for every 1,000 workers decreased the employment-to-population ratio by 0.2%, or about 3.3 workers, and lowered wages by 0.42%. Concerns about technology replacing human labor however are long-lasting. As US president Lyndon Johnson said in 1964, "Technology
3838-864: The dialysis machine , defibrillator , pacemaker , and a wide array of new pharmaceutical drugs ), and research (like interferon cloning and DNA microarrays ). Complex manufacturing and construction techniques and organizations are needed to make and maintain more modern technologies, and entire industries have arisen to develop succeeding generations of increasingly more complex tools. Modern technology increasingly relies on training and education – their designers, builders, maintainers, and users often require sophisticated general and specific training. Moreover, these technologies have become so complex that entire fields have developed to support them, including engineering, medicine, and computer science ; and other fields have become more complex, such as construction, transportation, and architecture. Technological change
3939-457: The iQue line of integrated PDA – GPS receivers. On October 31, 2005, the iQue M4 became the first PDA that did not require a PC to preload the maps. The American version came with built-in maps of North America, while the UK version was supplied pre-loaded with maps of Western Europe. Garmin produces a line of dog trackers and trainers under the Astro and Alpha brands. Garmin also manufactures
4040-402: The lever , the screw , and the pulley ) were combined into more complicated tools, such as the wheelbarrow , windmills , and clocks . A system of universities developed and spread scientific ideas and practices, including Oxford and Cambridge . The Renaissance era produced many innovations, including the introduction of the movable type printing press to Europe, which facilitated
4141-399: The smelting of ores, along with the use of a wind-drafted clay kiln , which released lead into the atmosphere and the sediment of rivers. Philosophy of technology is a branch of philosophy that studies the "practice of designing and creating artifacts", and the "nature of the things so created." It emerged as a discipline over the past two centuries, and has grown "considerably" since
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4242-595: The wheel in the Bronze Age allowed greater travel and the creation of more complex machines. More recent technological inventions, including the printing press , telephone, and the Internet , have lowered barriers to communication and ushered in the knowledge economy . While technology contributes to economic development and improves human prosperity , it can also have negative impacts like pollution and resource depletion , and can cause social harms like technological unemployment resulting from automation . As
4343-406: The 1970s, technology's impact on the environment has been criticized , leading to a surge in investment in solar , wind , and other forms of clean energy . Since the invention of the wheel, technologies have helped increase humans' economic output. Past automation has both substituted and complemented labor; machines replaced humans at some lower-paying jobs (for example in agriculture), but this
4444-429: The 1970s. The humanities philosophy of technology is concerned with the "meaning of technology for, and its impact on, society and culture". Initially, technology was seen as an extension of the human organism that replicated or amplified bodily and mental faculties. Marx framed it as a tool used by capitalists to oppress the proletariat, but believed that technology would be a fundamentally liberating force once it
4545-654: The 1990 International Marine Technology Exposition in Chicago . Another early product, a handheld GPS receiver, was sold to US military personnel serving in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War . In the early 2000s Garmin launched a series of personal GNSS devices aimed at recreational runners called the Forerunner . The Garmin Foretrex is a similar wrist-worn GNNS device with two-dimensional GPS tracking and waypoint projection called. The compact eTrex
4646-586: The Earth). It is the first worldwide GPS accurate topographical map with a scale of 1 to 50,000. D.A.E. is the official world map for the US and Australian militaries. It is a virtual globe of the earth that is almost 1,000 feet in diameter. On February 11, 2016, GPS products and services company Garmin announced it had agreed to purchase DeLorme. The announcement stated operations at DeLorme's Yarmouth facility would continue. Another announcement (March 3, 2016) confirmed
4747-489: The GNS 430 and StreetPilot. GNS 430 was an integrated avionics system that served as both GPS navigation receiver and communications transceiver. StreetPilot was Garmin’s first portable navigation system for cars. By 1999, sales had reached $ 232.6 million with a profit of $ 64 million. Garmin reported a 2006 total revenue of $ 1.77 billion, up 73% from $ 1.03 billion in 2005. On Dec. 8, 2000, Garmin began public trading on NASDAQ with
4848-522: The GPSMAP 5000 series for international boaters. In 2011, Garmin released its first GPS watch for the sport of golfing: the Approach S1. A year later in 2012, the company released its fēnix adventure smartwatch, designed for outdoor sports and recreation. 2014 saw the release of Vivofit, Garmin’s first wearable fitness band with a replaceable battery with over one year of battery life. Vivofit tracks
4949-673: The German satellite navigation company Navigon. In 2015, Garmin acquired South Africa's iKubu Ltd. for its Backtracker on-bicycle low power radar system. In 2018, it was reported that the Garmin subsidiary Navionics had exposed hundreds of thousands of customer records, when its MongoDB database wasn't secured with a password. In 2019, Garmin acquired Tacx, a privately held Dutch company that designs and manufacturers indoor bike trainers, tools and accessories, as well as indoor training software and applications. In 2021 Garmin acquired AeroData,
5050-610: The Neolithic but was originally used in the preceding Mesolithic in some areas such as Ireland. Agriculture fed larger populations, and the transition to sedentism allowed for the simultaneous raising of more children, as infants no longer needed to be carried around by nomads . Additionally, children could contribute labor to the raising of crops more readily than they could participate in hunter-gatherer activities. With this increase in population and availability of labor came an increase in labor specialization . What triggered
5151-677: The Palace of Knossos. Several Minoan private homes also had toilets, which could be flushed by pouring water down the drain. The ancient Romans had many public flush toilets, which emptied into an extensive sewage system . The primary sewer in Rome was the Cloaca Maxima ; construction began on it in the sixth century BCE and it is still in use today. The ancient Romans also had a complex system of aqueducts , which were used to transport water across long distances. The first Roman aqueduct
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#17328017169515252-471: The Paleolithic era include clothing and shelter. No consensus exists on the approximate time of adoption of either technology, but archaeologists have found archaeological evidence of clothing 90-120 kya and shelter 450 kya. As the Paleolithic era progressed, dwellings became more sophisticated and more elaborate; as early as 380 kya, humans were constructing temporary wood huts. Clothing, adapted from
5353-553: The Robert J. Collier Trophy for outstanding contributions to aviation and aerospace. In 2022, Garmin released a new health monitoring device with its first smart blood pressure monitor, Index BPM. Index BPM is FDA-cleared, and can be used by up to 16 different people. The following year, Garmin introduced the FDA-cleared ECG app, allowing users to record heart rhythm and check for atrial fibrillation. In 2023, Garmin announced
5454-502: The Stanford Existential Risk Initiative. Future technologies may contribute to the risks of artificial general intelligence , biological warfare , nuclear warfare , nanotechnology , anthropogenic climate change , global warming , or stable global totalitarianism , though technologies may also help us mitigate asteroid impacts and gamma-ray bursts . In 2019 philosopher Nick Bostrom introduced
5555-491: The Summit, Venture, Legend, and Vista, each with various additional features such as WAAS , altimeter, digital compass, city database, and highway maps. Many of these models come in color and expandable-memory versions. In May 2011 Garmin refreshed the eTrex product line with new mechanical design and support for advances in cartography and hardware technology with its release of the eTrex 10, eTrex 20, and eTrex 30, Garmin became
5656-620: The University of Tennessee. The same year Forbes estimated Burrell's net worth as $ 940 million. Cliff Pemble is the current CEO of Garmin. On July 23, 2020, Garmin shut down its call centres, website and some online services, including Garmin Connect and flyGarmin, after a ransomware attack encrypted its internal network and some production systems. The company did not say it was a ransomware attack, but company employees writing on social media described it as such, with some speculation about
5757-771: The ability to disable GPS functionality, should there be a need for higher military privacy and security. That same year, the company announced that Garmin fenix 7 watches would be used by crew members during the Polaris Dawn space mission to monitor health stats and vitals. In 2024, the Independent Boat Builders, Inc. (IBBI) selected Garmin as its exclusive marine electronics and audio supplier. The selection starts in model year 2025 and runs through 2029. In August 2003, Garmin completed acquisition of UPS Aviation Technologies, Inc. based in Salem, Oregon ,
5858-631: The ability to send and receive text messages to and from anywhere in the world (including when beyond cell phone range) by using the Iridium satellite constellation . By pairing with a smartphone, navigation is possible with access to free downloadable topographic maps and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) charts. On February 11, 2016, the company announced that it had been purchased by Garmin , another multinational producer of GPS products and services. DeLorme also produces printed atlas and topographic software products. The company uses
5959-625: The academic discipline, as in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . In the 20th century, as a result of scientific progress and the Second Industrial Revolution , technology stopped being considered a distinct academic discipline and took on the meaning: the systemic use of knowledge to practical ends. Tools were initially developed by hominids through observation and trial and error . Around 2 Mya (million years ago), they learned to make
6060-493: The agricultural revolution: humans no longer needed to hunt or gather to survive, and began to settle in towns and cities, forming more complex societies, with militaries and more organized forms of religion. Technologies have contributed to human welfare through increased prosperity, improved comfort and quality of life, and medical progress , but they can also disrupt existing social hierarchies, cause pollution, and harm individuals or groups. Recent years have brought about
6161-460: The alteration of matter at the atomic and molecular level in various disciplines including computer science, engineering, and biology. And engineering ethics deals with the professional standards of engineers, including software engineers and their moral responsibilities to the public. A wide branch of technology ethics is concerned with the ethics of artificial intelligence : it includes robot ethics , which deals with ethical issues involved in
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#17328017169516262-467: The atmosphere, causing the greenhouse effect . This continues to gradually heat the earth, causing global warming and climate change . Measures of technological innovation correlates with a rise in greenhouse gas emissions. Pollution, the presence of contaminants in an environment that causes adverse effects, could have been present as early as the Inca Empire . They used a lead sulfide flux in
6363-490: The belief that technological development is a moral good , which can and should bring about a utopia , that is, a society in which laws, governments, and social conditions serve the needs of all its citizens. Examples of techno-utopian goals include post-scarcity economics , life extension , mind uploading , cryonics , and the creation of artificial superintelligence . Major techno-utopian movements include transhumanism and singularitarianism . The transhumanism movement
6464-557: The city-state of Ur dates to around 3,429 BCE, and even older fragments of wheel-thrown pottery have been found in the same area. Fast (rotary) potters' wheels enabled early mass production of pottery, but it was the use of the wheel as a transformer of energy (through water wheels , windmills, and even treadmills) that revolutionized the application of nonhuman power sources. The first two-wheeled carts were derived from travois and were first used in Mesopotamia and Iran in around 3,000 BCE. The oldest known constructed roadways are
6565-535: The communication of knowledge. Technology became increasingly influenced by science, beginning a cycle of mutual advancement. Starting in the United Kingdom in the 18th century, the discovery of steam power set off the Industrial Revolution , which saw wide-ranging technological discoveries, particularly in the areas of agriculture , manufacturing, mining, metallurgy , and transport, and
6666-683: The company employed 1,205 people: 541 in the United States, 635 in Taiwan , and 29 in the United Kingdom. In 2003, Garmin announced its G1000 integrated cockpit system (though it was not available until 2004 when it received FAA certification). It was first adopted by aircraft makers including Cessna and Diamond Aircraft, and later would be installed as forward-fit and retrofit applications in regional airliners, business jets and turboprops, light airplanes, helicopters, and military and government aircraft. That same year, Garmin launched Forerunner 201,
6767-407: The company produced a CD with detailed topographic map data of the entire world. In 1991, DeLorme began vending Street Atlas USA on a single CD-ROM, becoming the most popular street-map CD in the United States, as well as one of the first mass consumer CD-ROM software products of any kind. By 1995, DeLorme had 44 percent of the market share for CD maps. The same year the company partnered with
6868-457: The defense contractor Magnavox while working for the former King Radio . They founded Garmin in 1989 in Lenexa, Kansas , as "ProNav". ProNav's first product was a GPS unit for boaters called GPS 100. It debuted at the 1990 International Marine Technology Exposition, where it garnered 5,000 orders. A short time later, in 1991, the company opened a manufacturing facility in Taiwan. The company
6969-444: The design, construction, use, and treatment of robots, as well as machine ethics , which is concerned with ensuring the ethical behavior of artificially intelligent agents . Within the field of AI ethics, significant yet-unsolved research problems include AI alignment (ensuring that AI behaviors are aligned with their creators' intended goals and interests) and the reduction of algorithmic bias . Some researchers have warned against
7070-615: The first GPS receivers tethered to laptops. In 2006/2007, the firm introduced its first full-featured GPS standalone receiver, the Earthmate GPS PN-20. During 2008, the company continued expanding its handheld GPS line with the Earthmate GPS PN-40 model. DeLorme also began selling OEM GPS modules allowing other manufacturers to add GPS to their products. In addition, the company began selling data to businesses. In 2009, DeLorme released D.A.E. (Digital Atlas of
7171-450: The first company to manufacture and distribute a worldwide consumer navigation product supporting both GPS and GLONASS satellite constellations. On May 13, 2015, Garmin released the eTrex 20x and 30x, which succeeded the eTrex 20 and 30. The main upgrade was a higher resolution screen and 4GB storage, double of the previous models. On July 2, 2015, Garmin introduced its eTrex Touch line, releasing three models (25, 35 and 35t), all featuring
7272-806: The first personal satellite communication device equipped for two-way text messaging using satellites. In 2017, Garmin released their first devices made with inReach: the inReach SE+ and Explorer+. In 2017, Garmin released its first dive computer with surface GPS, the Descent Mk1. The Mk1 also provides an altimeter and HR monitor, and uses Garmin’s fenix 5X platform for everyday activity tracking. In 2018, Garmin improved its Panoptix technology by combining it with Livescope. The new Panoptix Livescope provided both scanning or imaging sonar as well as real-time, live sonar. In April 2018, Garmin launched Connect IQ 3.0 along with new apps—MySwim Pro, Yelp , Trailforks and iHeartRadio . In May 2018, Garmin partnered with
7373-553: The first stone tools by hammering flakes off a pebble, forming a sharp hand axe . This practice was refined 75 kya (thousand years ago) into pressure flaking , enabling much finer work. The discovery of fire was described by Charles Darwin as "possibly the greatest ever made by man". Archaeological, dietary, and social evidence point to "continuous [human] fire-use" at least 1.5 Mya. Fire, fueled with wood and charcoal , allowed early humans to cook their food to increase its digestibility, improving its nutrient value and broadening
7474-517: The fur and hides of hunted animals, helped humanity expand into colder regions; humans began to migrate out of Africa around 200 kya, initially moving to Eurasia . The Neolithic Revolution (or First Agricultural Revolution ) brought about an acceleration of technological innovation, and a consequent increase in social complexity. The invention of the polished stone axe was a major advance that allowed large-scale forest clearance and farming. This use of polished stone axes increased greatly in
7575-441: The hypothetical risk of an AI takeover , and have advocated for the use of AI capability control in addition to AI alignment methods. Other fields of ethics have had to contend with technology-related issues, including military ethics , media ethics , and educational ethics . Futures studies is the systematic and interdisciplinary study of social and technological progress. It aims to quantitatively and qualitatively explore
7676-488: The introduction of skyscrapers accompanied by rapid urbanization. Communication improved with the invention of the telegraph , the telephone, the radio, and television. The 20th century brought a host of innovations. In physics, the discovery of nuclear fission in the Atomic Age led to both nuclear weapons and nuclear power . Analog computers were invented and asserted dominance in processing complex data. While
7777-508: The invention of vacuum tubes allowed for digital computing with computers like the ENIAC , their sheer size precluded widespread use until innovations in quantum physics allowed for the invention of the transistor in 1947, which significantly compacted computers and led the digital transition. Information technology, particularly optical fiber and optical amplifiers , allowed for simple and fast long-distance communication, which ushered in
7878-404: The issue more thoroughly; others fear that directed evolution could lead to eugenics or extreme social inequality. Nanotechnology will grant us the ability to manipulate matter "at the molecular and atomic scale", which could allow us to reshape ourselves and our environment in fundamental ways. Nanobots could be used within the human body to destroy cancer cells or form new body parts, blurring
7979-404: The largest rotating globe in the world. The company has provided complimentary geographic educational sessions for thousands of school children over the years and the public is welcome to visit and see Eartha from the three-story balconies. In 1999, DeLorme introduced 3D TopoQuad DVD and CD products, which include digitized U.S. topographic maps. In 2001, XMap professional GIS map program
8080-690: The line between biology and technology. Autonomous robots have undergone rapid progress, and are expected to replace humans at many dangerous tasks, including search and rescue , bomb disposal , firefighting , and war. Estimates on the advent of artificial general intelligence vary, but half of machine learning experts surveyed in 2018 believe that AI will "accomplish every task better and more cheaply" than humans by 2063, and automate all human jobs by 2140. This expected technological unemployment has led to calls for increased emphasis on computer science education and debates about universal basic income . Political science experts predict that this could lead to
8181-417: The next technological revolution would rest upon advances in genetics , nanotechnology , and robotics , with robotics being the most impactful of the three technologies. Genetic engineering will allow far greater control over human biological nature through a process called directed evolution . Some thinkers believe that this may shatter our sense of self, and have urged for renewed public debate exploring
8282-419: The notion of a vulnerable world , "one in which there is some level of technological development at which civilization almost certainly gets devastated by default", citing the risks of a pandemic caused by bioterrorists , or an arms race triggered by the development of novel armaments and the loss of mutual assured destruction . He invites policymakers to question the assumptions that technological progress
8383-443: The number of foods that could be eaten. The cooking hypothesis proposes that the ability to cook promoted an increase in hominid brain size , though some researchers find the evidence inconclusive. Archaeological evidence of hearths was dated to 790 kya; researchers believe this is likely to have intensified human socialization and may have contributed to the emergence of language . Other technological advances made during
8484-507: The oldest-known wooden wheel in the world as of 2024 was found in the Ljubljana Marsh of Slovenia ; Austrian experts have established that the wheel is between 5,100 and 5,350 years old. The invention of the wheel revolutionized trade and war. It did not take long to discover that wheeled wagons could be used to carry heavy loads. The ancient Sumerians used a potter's wheel and may have invented it. A stone pottery wheel found in
8585-553: The privacy of cryptocurrency, many also argue that it needs more transparency and stability. Technology can have both positive and negative effects on the environment. Environmental technology , describes an array of technologies which seek to reverse, mitigate or halt environmental damage to the environment. This can include measures to halt pollution through environmental regulations, capture and storage of pollution, or using pollutant byproducts in other industries. Other examples of environmental technology include deforestation and
8686-417: The progression from early Neolithic villages to the first cities, such as Uruk , and the first civilizations, such as Sumer , is not specifically known; however, the emergence of increasingly hierarchical social structures and specialized labor, of trade and war among adjacent cultures, and the need for collective action to overcome environmental challenges such as irrigation , are all thought to have played
8787-409: The range of plausible futures and to incorporate human values in the development of new technologies. More generally, futures researchers are interested in improving "the freedom and welfare of humankind". It relies on a thorough quantitative and qualitative analysis of past and present technological trends, and attempts to rigorously extrapolate them into the future. Science fiction is often used as
8888-401: The reversing of deforestation. Emerging technologies in the fields of climate engineering may be able to halt or reverse global warming and its environmental impacts, although this remains highly controversial. As technology has advanced, so too has the negative environmental impact, with increased release of greenhouse gases , including methane , nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide , into
8989-537: The stone-paved streets of the city-state of Ur, dating to c. 4,000 BCE , and timber roads leading through the swamps of Glastonbury , England, dating to around the same period. The first long-distance road, which came into use around 3,500 BCE, spanned 2,400 km from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea , but was not paved and was only partially maintained. In around 2,000 BCE,
9090-476: The time, Technologie (German and French) referred either to the academic discipline studying the "methods of arts and crafts", or to the political discipline "intended to legislate on the functions of the arts and crafts." The distinction between Technik and Technologie is absent in English, and so both were translated as technology . The term was previously uncommon in English and mostly referred to
9191-527: The use of robotic soldiers, algorithmic bias , and the issue of aligning AI behavior with human values. Technology ethics encompasses several key fields. Bioethics looks at ethical issues surrounding biotechnologies and modern medicine, including cloning, human genetic engineering, and stem cell research. Computer ethics focuses on issues related to computing. Cyberethics explores internet-related issues like intellectual property rights , privacy , and censorship . Nanoethics examines issues surrounding
9292-506: The value judgments that shape technology. Cultural critic Neil Postman distinguished tool-using societies from technological societies and from what he called "technopolies", societies that are dominated by an ideology of technological and scientific progress to the detriment of other cultural practices, values, and world views. Herbert Marcuse and John Zerzan suggest that technological society will inevitably deprive us of our freedom and psychological health. The ethics of technology
9393-527: The widespread application of the factory system . This was followed a century later by the Second Industrial Revolution which led to rapid scientific discovery, standardization, and mass production. New technologies were developed, including sewage systems , electricity, light bulbs , electric motors , railroads, automobiles , and airplanes. These technological advances led to significant developments in medicine, chemistry , physics , and engineering. They were accompanied by consequential social change, with
9494-529: Was "freed from societal deformations". Second-wave philosophers like Ortega later shifted their focus from economics and politics to "daily life and living in a techno-material culture", arguing that technology could oppress "even the members of the bourgeoisie who were its ostensible masters and possessors." Third-stage philosophers like Don Ihde and Albert Borgmann represent a turn toward de-generalization and empiricism, and considered how humans can learn to live with technology. Early scholarship on technology
9595-574: Was built in 312 BCE. The eleventh and final ancient Roman aqueduct was built in 226 CE. Put together, the Roman aqueducts extended over 450 km, but less than 70 km of this was above ground and supported by arches. Innovations continued through the Middle Ages with the introduction of silk production (in Asia and later Europe), the horse collar , and horseshoes . Simple machines (such as
9696-513: Was compensated by the creation of new, higher-paying jobs. Studies have found that computers did not create significant net technological unemployment . Due to artificial intelligence being far more capable than computers, and still being in its infancy, it is not known whether it will follow the same trend; the question has been debated at length among economists and policymakers. A 2017 survey found no clear consensus among economists on whether AI would increase long-term unemployment. According to
9797-412: Was introduced in 2000; several models with different features have been released since. The original eTrex, commonly nicknamed "eTrex Yellow", offered a lightweight (5.3 oz/150 g), waterproof, palm-sized 12-channel GPS receiver, along with a battery life of up to 22 hours on two AA-size batteries. It was replaced in 2007 by the eTrex H, which added a high-sensitivity receiver. Other eTrex models include
9898-469: Was later renamed "Garmin", a portmanteau of its two founders, Gary Burrell and Min H. Kao. In 1991, the U.S. Army became their first customer. In 1994, Garmin released GPS 155, the first IFR-certified aviation navigation system. By 1995, Garmin's sales had reached $ 102 million, and it had achieved a profit of $ 23 million. In 1996, the company headquarters moved to Olathe, Kansas. A year later, Garmin sold its one millionth unit. In 1998, Garmin released
9999-536: Was probably used from near the beginning of Neolithic times (about 10 kya). Native copper does not naturally occur in large amounts, but copper ores are quite common and some of them produce metal easily when burned in wood or charcoal fires. Eventually, the working of metals led to the discovery of alloys such as bronze and brass (about 4,000 BCE). The first use of iron alloys such as steel dates to around 1,800 BCE. After harnessing fire, humans discovered other forms of energy. The earliest known use of wind power
10100-488: Was produced on CD, and an expanded XMap was released in 2002, modified to provide GPS functionality to Palm OS and Pocket PC . In 2004, DeLorme became the first company to sell a USB GPS device, the Earthmate GPS LT-20. At the same time, it began offering downloadable satellite and USGS 7.5-minute quads that could be overlaid on its maps using a new NetLink feature. Earlier models of Earthmate were among
10201-649: Was split between two arguments: technological determinism , and social construction . Technological determinism is the idea that technologies cause unavoidable social changes. It usually encompasses a related argument, technological autonomy, which asserts that technological progress follows a natural progression and cannot be prevented. Social constructivists argue that technologies follow no natural progression, and are shaped by cultural values, laws, politics, and economic incentives. Modern scholarship has shifted towards an analysis of sociotechnical systems , "assemblages of things, people, practices, and meanings", looking at
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