Technology can come from the strangest of places. With the claims that even the internet itself was created for military purposes, it seems that much of our technological advancements come from very specific use cases - but are then broadened and commercialised to the public. Another example would be Australian electrical engineer Arthur James Arnot, who invented the electric drill to help drill coal and rock for miners. Very quickly this became a staple in everyone's garage.

Below are some industries that have contributed heavily to technological advancements, but don’t always get the credit they deserve.

Gaming

Much of the progress in regards to accelerometers - the very thing that can accurately track our steps and activity - was driven by a desire to implement them in games. Although it’s very old technology, smartphones really leveraged the technology for more immersive games, like the iconic 3D Wooden Labyrinth Game on iPhone 3g, and later further improved upon by the Nintendo Wii.

Whilst real money pokies may not seem groundbreaking on the face of it, many Australian online casinos are a driving force behind not only their own game innovations (gamified casino games) but also creating Virtual Reality software. Given that gambling is one of mankind’s oldest activities, it was no surprise that casinos popped up quickly in the MetaVerse. The money involved with online gambling is a powerful driver of current VR developments.

Healthcare

The ramifications from innovations coming out of healthcare are perhaps the greatest of any industry, such as the Australian invention of penicillin which is widely attributed to helping the allies win World War 2. But, healthcare is quickly becoming heavily digitised and is arguably the biggest beneficiary of mobile robots, along with manufacturing.

Having robotic assistants to help deliver medication and respond to queries from patients is quickly becoming normalised. Beyond the physical realm of tech, it’s perhaps Artificial Intelligence that healthcare is having its biggest impact on. AI is much more competent at pattern recognition than humans, which is why it’s being used to help research vaccines and other treatments that require analysing vast amounts of data.

CPA Australia’s report on AI within healthcare highlights the broad scope of its applications and why it’s so heavily invested in. Remote surgery, VR-driven therapy, and AI wearables to name a few applications. However, it’s arguably the free market that drives much of this innovation, as the report claims “Countries like UK and Australia, where healthcare is majorly controlled by the government, face a lot of challenges to provide effective coverage of treatment.”

Education

Finally, the education industry, particularly in Australia, has embraced technology and looks for ways to leverage it in order to improve the delivery of education in our digital world. Companies such as EduTech help deliver technological solutions to schools, individuals, and companies all around the country.

Technological applications include VR, Arctic Robotics, among other collaborations. VR classrooms can help deliver a classroom environment from the child’s home, revolutionising the home-schooling experience, as well as benefiting from pre-programmed educational games within them.

Final Word

There is a two-way symbiotic relationship between technology and certain industries, where they contribute toward technology as much as they leverage from others’ innovations. But more and more we are seeing industries crossover and collaborate because they can benefit from the same technology. If we consider the applications of VR alone, it ranges from remotely driving an arctic lorry and stacking shelves to then delivering PTSD treatment and delivering corporate presentations.