TOEFL Response #2 : A World Without Wires

         What would be the most annoying thing in the world? Well, there might be a variety of possible answers, but I am sure that one of them is electric wires of electronic devices. That’s why the word ‘wireless’ is considered very innovative and often used in advertisements. For instance, when we see wireless headphones or wireless televisions, we feel so new and fresh. However, I can definitely say that in the next 77 years, seeing devices with wires in normal days will become a rare experience for most people. 



        Generally, there are 2 uses of wires. First, wires are used when connecting two devices for informational exchanges. Wires of this use are decreasing day by day. For example, applying Wi-Fi technology to smartphones and laptops is letting people get rid of wires for LAN. Also, a few clever industries are putting this into their products such as printers. In the next few decades, Wi-Fi technology that can be applied to other kinds of devices will be developed, and will let all sorts of gadgets be connected to computers or smartphones. Users will be able to easily manipulate other devices around only if they can get access to them. For example, people will not need wires when using hard drives or USBs. Computers will be connected to big screens without wires, when giving presentations. 

Wi-Fi will enable connections without wires.

Moreover, air conditioners, washing machines and even lights can be connected by Wi-Fi to computers and work as a remote controller. The only problem with this is their higher costs. Wi-Fi available electronic devices will be more expensive than normal ones with wires as they would contain special signal receivers inside them. Therefore, if a new strategy to lower the cost of producing the receiver is found, this technology will soon be commercialized and put into common use.



    Second, people use wires when charging electronic devices by plugging them in the electric outlets. While many industries are interested in solving the first problem above, they usually consider wires for charging are inevitable. However, there is a brand-new technology that is being developed and published. Applying electromagnetic induction, gadgets that need no wires but a special device that induces electricity are being commercialized.

      Problem with this technology is that users need to put the gadgets on the device or else it will not be charged. Another technology that doesn’t even need this device is also being researched, but this is facing its hardship now since charging efficiency is much lower and its biological safety hasn’t been granted. However these small problems will definitely be fixed and will soon be available in markets. If this technology is combined with increased battery capacity, use of wires for charging will drop drastically.

 

           There are several possible benefits from drop of wire usage. Firstly, cost of initial resources will decrease, as massive amount of copper (and other metal resources in it) and rubber will be saved. Plus, air pollutants and CO2 produced when burning those will disappear as well. Lastly, people will get less annoyed as they do not need to make efforts or spend time in arranging screwed wires to be neat and clean.

      I’d like to conclude my essay with "equation of invention".

 

[People’s Want and Need + Technology ->

New Devices invented + Wires]

      Wires are often very useful and come in handy, but they are nothing more than a by-product of electronic devices that occurred in lack of technology. It’s time to eliminate unnecessary products that often disrupt the experiment from the equation as we have enough reactants to do so. The 21^st century is here, and world with wires will soon withdraw.