Machines

Machines, they have been around for a very long time. Usually when we think about machines, our thoughts are of devices that came from the industrial revolution. The definition of a machine is “Any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks”.Another definition is, “A device for overcoming resistance at one point by applying force at some other point” Using these definitions we can see that we have had machines around a lot longer than we thought. When that first cave man decided to create a sling shot, he built a device or machine that allowed him to multiply force to a stone, allowing it to travel faster than if thrown by hand. The same was true for the spear thrower, a device you placed in your hand and fit the end of the spear in. This also allowed you to apply more force to a deadlier spear.

We think that we have the best machines that were ever built by humans and this is understandable. We are more modern than any of our ancestors and more technologically advanced, aren't we? Yet we have a puzzle to solve that may prove that our machines are not as powerful as some past unknown machines. Look at the building methods of some of the Maya cites, the ones that were built on mountain tops. Huge stones were carried to mountain tops, stones that were so heavy that we couldn't get them up there today. Did these people possess machines that could do this? If they didn't, how did they get the stones up there? This is one of the most puzzling questions about the ancients. Many different ancient civilizations seemed to be able to move huge stones and lift them. One obelisk that never made it out of the quarry was said to be 160 tons and was being created out of a single piece of stone. How was anyone going to move this monster?

As time ticked along, societies like the Greeks and Romans developed all sorts or machines. The Greeks had temples with doors that would open automatically, vending machines (these were the first) and man powered cranes, just to mention a few machines. They built machines that used magnetism, steam and water, among other things. They even had a machine that had statues of dancers that were on a turntable and rotated to the delight of the audience. A flying chariot came down from the sealing of a temple and flew over the people's heads and this was done using magnetic stones. The Romans had many machines and a lot of them were devoted to warfare and construction. They had machines that fired arrows in sequence, much as a machine gun fires bullets. They had machines that fired huge iron spears that could go through several men, or penetrate a sturdy wooden defense. The Roman catapult was a machine that could lob large stones at the enemy. Roman soldiers were so interested in construction and engineering that they carried a shovel. Most Roman siege engines were improvements of earlier Greek ones.

Medieval Crane. Notice it is even simpler than the Roman cranes, showing a lack of advancement.
Graphic Source: Public Domain

When we get to the Middle ages we see many more machines. The pre-gunpowder artillery was made of wood and launched stones, but some were far more powerful than anything that had been seen prior to their appearance. The trebuchet became the standard artillery, it was a machine that had a very heavy weight on one end of an arm that had a net or basket at the other. It could launch very heavy stones for hundreds of feet and hit the same spot every time, causing walls to fall. In a way eyeglasses are a machine because they apply force (magnification) to what we are reading and they were around in medieval times. Clocks also hit the scene. There were clocks before the Middle ages, but as far as we know, none were mechanical. Records indicate that the first mechanical clocks were built in the 13th century. Here are some of the inventions in the middle ages, a trip hammer, windmill, loom and printing press. Of course this is western thinking and completely ignores the fact that the Chinese probably had most of the inventions from the middle ages well before that time.

Watt Steam Engine
Photo Source: GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version

Next came a machine explosion, the industrial revolution. It began in the late 18th century and changed everything. Now you had machines that ran under power. That power was supplied by either water, wind, or coal. Steam engines were used that were coal powered and huge factories sprang up using coal to power all sorts of machines. Soon some cities became choked by the coal exhaust coming out of high chimneys. Great Britain completely switched from a society based on manual and animal based labor, to one based mostly on machine labor. The use of water wheels was increased even as the use of coal increased. This revolution fed on itself. Machine tools were developed in the 19th century and this made it easier to created different machines. The world was changing and now there was no stopping it. Textile manufacturing was one of the first industries to become machine powered. Steam powered trains also appeared on the scene.

The time from about 1850 is known as the Second Industrial Revolution. As the century progressed, we began to see ever more efficient killing machines, such as the Gatling Gun, submarines and iron clad ships. A little later internal combustion engines came on the scene and they changed the way we traveled, not only because they were put in cars, but they were also used in ships and later planes. We had developed machines that allowed us to communicate over large distances and eventually we developed machines that allowed us to watch moving pictures and audio on a box known as a television set. By the time the 20th century had ended, we had even traveled to the moon in rockets, developed machines that could monitor our health and even machines that could split atoms.

Apollo 11
Photo Source: NASA

Today we are giving more and more power to our machines. We are letting some think for themselves. One of our machines is a robotic plane that is used in combat and carries what is known as Hellfire bombs. Just the other day one of these machines had to be shot down because it began to think for itself and headed away from its target in Afghanistan and headed towards the border of that country while it was armed to the teeth. Luckily for us this is the type of plane that is slow and is propeller driven, so it was easy for our jets to catch up to it. We are into robotics in a big way now. Will one of these machines hurt someone one day? There was already at least one close call that I know about with a military robot. While it was being taken out for a demonstration, the turret began to turn and aim the gun at the people that were accompanying it. Only the fast action of one of the officers who grabbed the gun saved lives. The robot was deactivated and taken back to the lab.

Let's not give too much power to machines, if we know what is good for us.