Written by Simon S. (KIS‘21)
━━ November 30th, 2020 ━━
Photoacoustic effect is the formation of sound waves as the result of a material absorbing light waves. Using this concept, we are able to make links between light and sound, creating possibilities for further technological development. Last month, in a paper published in the journal Optics Letters, it has been reported that a team of MIT researchers found a way to transmit sound through laser. Although this new technology yields the unbridled potential of development and innovation, however, there are certain ethical issues and possible harms that surround this unprecedented technology. So, what are the benefits and drawbacks of using lasers to transmit sound? And comprehensively, will this technology benefit our society or not?
One beneficial aspect that this technology can bring into our society is that it can be applied to our daily lives. If this technology is further developed and commercially used, then it would form a new industry. Not only firms that exist in society will try to adopt that technology and make a profit from the newfound industry, but new conglomerates specific to this new device will also be created. This will directly affect the growth of the economy, as this will increase the employment rate and subsequently the Gross Domestic Product. Despite such beneficial aspects the technology might provide, the possible drawbacks cannot be denied. One flaw or drawback of this technology is that if people get to afford it easily in their daily life, then some with wrong ethical beliefs or ideology can commit unethical acts, which might lead to an even bigger disaster. Since there are no effective methods to control the use of technology by people, this can be a crucial drawback.
Another beneficial aspect that technology can provide is that it can be used as a method of communication in a war. In previous wars such as WW1 or WW2, the methods of communication that were used were telephone or morse code. These two methods of communication have numerous flaws, one of which is that the information that is being sent from one to another can be leaked by converting the telephone route or reading the morse code by finding patterns. However, this new method clearly solves the drawbacks of the previous methods. If the light razor is only shot towards people who are supposed to receive the information, then the possibility that the information is leaked is comparably low. Despite such benefits, its use in wars can cause great troubles in the world society; the use of this technology will lead to huge development and advancement of war technology, which might boost the number of conflicts and wars fought between nations. Additionally, if two nations fight against each other, and one nation has highly developed technology and the other doesn’t, consequently the one without the technology will be easily defeated, leading to domination of one nation.
There is no doubt that technology will boost the development of modern-day technology and science, which will lead to the creation of new industries and the growth of the world economy. It will also be used as an advanced method of communication during the war that prevents any leak of information and flaws in missions. Nonetheless, it not only enables people to use it in unethical ways, but it will also boost the military standard, which might lead to more frequent wars. Since there are numerous benefits and drawbacks, straightly concluding whether or not it is beneficial to society should be avoided. Instead, observing the trend of modern-day society and different circumstances first and then deciding whether or not this technology is beneficial seems more appropriate.
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Credits:
“Waves as Energy Transfer.” Science Learning Hub, Science Learning Hub, 2011, www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/120-waves-as-energy-transfer. Accessed 23 Nov. 2020.
The Optical Society. “New Technology Uses Lasers to Transmit Audible Messages to Specific People.” Osa.org, The Optical Society, 2019, www.osa.org/en-us/about_osa/newsroom/news_releases/2019/new_technology_uses_lasers_to_transmit_audible_mes/. Accessed 23 Nov. 2020.
Sieber, Tina. “Is Electromagnetic Radiation Dangerous? How To Protect Yourself?” MakeUseOf, MakeUseOf, 10 Jan. 2014, www.makeuseof.com/tag/is-electromagnetic-radiation-dangerous-how-to-protect-yourself/. Accessed 23 Nov. 2020.
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