Cumulative Technological Progress

A Cumulative Technological Progress is a compound innovation process that builds incrementally over time to produce unforeseen transformative outcomes.

• Context:
  • It can typically generate Cumulative Technological Progress Unforeseen Benefit beyond initial innovations' scope.
  • It can typically enable Cumulative Technological Progress Cross-Domain Transfer between unrelated fields.
  • It can often involve Cumulative Technological Progress Innovation Chain linking disparate advances.
  • It can often produce Cumulative Technological Progress Exponential Growth through compounding effects.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Linear Cumulative Technological Progress to being an Exponential Cumulative Technological Progress, depending on its cumulative technological progress acceleration rate.
  • It can range from being a Narrow Cumulative Technological Progress to being a Broad Cumulative Technological Progress, depending on its cumulative technological progress domain span.
  • ...
  • It can enable Cumulative Technological Progress Societal Transformation beyond initial predictions.
  • It can justify Cumulative Technological Progress Investment Patience for long-term returns.
  • It can demonstrate Cumulative Technological Progress Path Dependency in innovation trajectories.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Historical Cumulative Technological Progresses, such as:
    • Mechanization to Medicine Cumulative Technological Progress, from spinning jennys enabling industrial chemistry leading to pharmaceuticals.
    • Steam to Space Cumulative Technological Progress, from engines to rockets via materials science.
    • Telegraph to Internet Cumulative Technological Progress, building communication infrastructure layers.
  • Contemporary Cumulative Technological Progresses, such as:
    • Computing to AI Cumulative Technological Progress, from transistors through software to machine learning.
    • Genetics to Synthetic Biology Cumulative Technological Progress, accumulating biological engineering capabilities.
    • Materials to Nanotechnology Cumulative Technological Progress, progressing from chemistry to atomic manipulation.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Isolated Innovation, lacking cumulative technological progress compound effect.
  • Technological Dead End, failing to enable cumulative technological progress further advance.
  • Regressive Technology Change, reversing rather than building cumulative technological progress accumulation.
• See: Technological Evolution, Innovation Ecosystem, Path Dependency, Exponential Growth, Moore's Law Trend.

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