The functionality grid provides a map of the entire technological landscape. As such it offers a view of the nine pathways along which technological progress occurs.
We measure technological progress by means of time-related graphs, i.e., techno-trends, of improved functional performance in each of the nine pathways. These improvements reflect the triple trends of technological progress. We construct these trends from time series of functional performance metrics (FPMs) that are identified for technologies in every pathway.
In practice a minimum of five FPMs are required to reflect technological progress in each case. (i) Three FPMs reflect improvements in the ratio of output to input, (ii) One FPM is required to reflect improvement in throughput. (iii) And one FPM is required to reflect improvement in functional density.
Taking the first pathway in the grid, i.e., matter processing, as example, the five FPMs would be:
- Output of M/Input of M
- Output of M/Input of E
- Output of M/Input of I
- Output of M/T
- Output of M/S
In this definition M,E and I refer to matter, energy and information, while T and S refer to time and space respectively.
This approach generates a chart of 45 types of technology trend that describes progress across the full technological landscape.
Copyright: Rias van Wyk, 2009.