A mature technology is a technology that has been in use for long enough that most of its initial
faults and inherent problems have been removed or reduced by further development. In some contexts, it may also refer to technology that has not seen widespread use, but whose scientific background is well understood. Its performance characteristics are also expected to be well understood with well-established design specifications.
One of the key indicators of a mature technology is the
ease of use for both non-
experts and professionals. Another indicator is a reduction in the rate of new breakthrough advances related to it—whereas
inventions related to a (popular) immature technology are usually rapid and diverse, and may change the whole use
paradigm—advances to a mature technology are usually
incremental
Increment or incremental may refer to:
*Incrementalism, a theory (also used in politics as a synonym for gradualism)
*Increment and decrement operators, the operators ++ and -- in computer programming
*Incremental computing
*Incremental backup, wh ...
improvements only.
Examples
The
QWERTY keyboard
QWERTY () is a keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets. The name comes from the order of the first six keys on the top left letter row of the keyboard ( ). The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden t ...
design is an example of mature technology because its performance characteristics such as typing speeds and error rates have been established in various describable situations.
Additionally, the basic key organization of this technology has remained the same over the last century.
Another example is the
barcode
A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly referred to as linear or o ...
, a technology that also satisfies all the previously cited indicators. It is widely used since when it was first introduced it was an open technology made available in the public domain where anyone had access.
Other mature technologies include the following:
*
Farming
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...
, most advances are in slight improvements of breeds or in pest reduction.
*
Telephone
A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
, though considered mature,
mobile phones showed a rare potential for substantial changes even in such technologies.
*
Watch
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached b ...
, most ordinary watch movements have the same or very similar components. Most advances are with the aesthetic looks or sub-dials on the watch face.
*
Bicycle, a mature form of transport in that it is easy to learn, simple, affordable, and improves a person's ability to travel without inhibiting others' ability to do so
Technologies not yet fully mature
*
Motor vehicle, widely used by non-experts, but require significant infrastructure and sacrifices to public space.
*
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
, with still partly conflicting technological and human standards.
*
Computers, becoming more mature due to advances in user-friendly
operating systems and the decline of
Moore's law.
*
Economic models
In economics, a model is a theoretical construct representing economic processes by a set of variables and a set of logical and/or quantitative relationships between them. The economic model is a simplified, often mathematical, framework design ...
, still shows high
failure rates in economic prediction.
*
Distributed ledger
A distributed ledger (also called a shared ledger or distributed ledger technology or DLT) is the consensus of replicated, shared, and synchronized digital data that is geographically spread (distributed) across many sites, countries, or institutio ...
technology is currently used in a limited number of applications mainly being
blockchains, though ongoing research and potential use cases are currently being explored.
Immature technologies
*
Nanotechnology, actual industrial applications limited so far.
*
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...
, which still does not solve most health and ecologic human challenges.
*
Quantum computers, so far mostly a theoretical concept.
*
Nuclear fusion power
Fusion power is a proposed form of power generation that would generate electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing energy. Devices de ...
, mainly theoretical due to the containment energy expenditure thus far outweighs yielded energy in practice.
*
Virtual reality
Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...
, whilst practical systems exist, the potential roadmap is estimated to require a lifetime of advances in many fields.
See also
*
Business cycle
Business cycles are intervals of expansion followed by recession in economic activity. These changes have implications for the welfare of the broad population as well as for private institutions. Typically business cycles are measured by examin ...
*
Technology lifecycle
*
Technology readiness level
References
{{Reflist
Offshoring
Outsourcing
Product management
Scientific method