The world around us is marvelously engineered place. There are movement and noise, transport and service and all are mechanical in every way. However, hidden behind the mechanics of life, away from the digital world of the internet that we all think is so clever sits clever pieces of mechanical know-how that make things happen. When do you last stop to consider the inner workings of the things, we take for granted? In the last few decades, there has been so much development and innovation that has simply been overlooked.
The flow of things
Everything around us is a marvel in its own way. We take so much for granted and yet we fail to remember the blood sweat and tears that went into making something work and then improve it. Take your simple air conditioning units, we take cool air on a hot summers day for granted and the very fact we can switch the air on or off with a remote is so mattered of fact. However, without something as simple as control valves the whole air conditioning system would not work. A simple yet vital piece of engineered technology helps the airflow through the system in a controlled manner where we otherwise have all or nothing.
The wheels on the bus
Many of us take the bus to work and we again take this vehicle for granted. However, if it were not for a very simple engineered device the bus would be a lot less comfortable than it is. Doors open automatically and the wheels turn smoothly, and these are things that are perfectly natural to us. However, the secret to the doors opening and wheels turning is reliant on a simple yet vitally important piece of engineering. The ball bearing or bearing. A series of small metal balls in a metal casing helps the wheels turn smoothly and help the doors open time after time. Sure, the wheels and doors could work without the bearings, but the wear and tear would be tremendous.
Cool Running
When it comes to our cars, we all switch the engine on and drive away. We expect our cars to just work. But there is something so simple inside the engine many of us have forgotten about. Without this fairly dated piece of technology, many cars would be dead on the roadside or just too hot to drive. Many cars are cooled by water and this water needs to flow to keep the engine running at an optimal temperature. However, to allow the flow a simple device is required and few of us even take the time to be grateful for it. The thermostat is one of the most basic parts of even the most advanced cars today and it is what controls the flow of water and stops your engine from overheating.
If you stop and pause there are countless small things, we overlook in the bigger things we take for granted. Be thankful for the engineers and always be grateful for the small things in life.
