Why some old technologies are experiencing a renaissance
The fate of most technological products over the past 150 years has followed a standard pattern. Initially, a novelty is hailed as a breakthrough and the pinnacle of progress; then, its existence is taken for granted. Subsequently, something more advanced appears, and the technology that once seemed the epitome of perfection fades into oblivion. The faster our civilisation develops, the shorter this life cycle becomes.
FROM BIRTH TO DEATH
A textbook example is the video cassette recorder (VCR). It went from being the ultimate dream to an unwanted item gathering dust in a closet within just fifteen to twenty years. However, the lifespan of its successor, the DVD player, proved even shorter: by the early 2010s, a stable, fast internet connection and the spread of compact and capacious flash drives had relegated it to the backwaters of history.
The second category encompasses inventions that have fallen out of use, such as the telegraph (although telegram services are still provided in some countries). The third category includes inventions that have fallen from grace and seemed forgotten forever but have now been given a second life for a number of reasons. Among them are electric cars, which are already familiar to us, as well as steam engines and airships, which are only regaining popularity.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY AND SAFE
By the beginning of this year, the number of electric vehicles worldwide had reached 56 million. In 2025, the planet saw 20.7 million more electric car owners than the year before, setting a new industry record. In Belarus, the number of electric cars doubled during this time and exceeded 54,000 units.As Belarus’ Energy Minister Denis Moroz stated at a meeting of the Council for Sustainable Development, the explosive growth in electric vehicles in recent years is linked to the operation of the Belarusian nuclear power plant and the expansion of the charging station network. According to the Energy Minister’s forecast, by 2030, there will be 300,000 electric vehicles in Belarus.
The end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century marked the era of electric vehicle dominance. In the USA, at the start of the new century, electric transport accounted for 38 percent of the car market, while cars with internal combustion engines held only 22 percent.
However, electric vehicles quickly began to lose ground. This was due to the impossibility — given the technological level of the time — of manufacturing higher-capacity batteries, and the high cost of electric cars.
The situation only changed after the 1973 oil crisis. The increase in fuel prices and the global community’s turn to the green agenda initially spurred the appearance of tiny cars with low-power electric motors. Then came Tesla, which became the first sign of a renaissance for electric cars, rapidly winning back the positions lost to internal combustion engine cars a century earlier.
FULL STEAM AHEAD INTO SPACE
What association comes to mind when you hear the words ‘steam engine’? Something puffing and noisy — a relic of the bygone era of steam locomotives and steamships. On the one hand, such a perception of an invention created in the second half of the 18th century is understandable. On the other hand, the steam engine is an excellent example of how a long-established design can be adapted to modern realities and become effective.A steam engine is an external combustion engine that converts the energy of steam into mechanical work. This definition allows us to classify not only a locomotive or ship boiler as a steam engine, but also a steam turbine at a nuclear or thermal power plant. However, the use of modern steam engines is not limited to Earth. Recently, they have also begun to be used in space.
Today, several satellite projects use engines that rely on ordinary water, converted into steam, to conquer distant expanses.
One of them is the U.S. project The World Is Not Enough, successfully tested on Earth under vacuum conditions back in 2019. According to the developers’ idea, the ship should dock with asteroids, collect ice from them, and then melt it in a special chamber so that the steam, ejected through a nozzle under pressure, propels it in the desired direction.
RETURN OF THE AIR KING
Human civilisation is developing ever more rapidly, and what seemed cutting-edge to us only recently quickly becomes commonplace, and then obsolete. However, we should not prematurely write off the old-timers — a new turn of progress or acute need may easily bring them back to life.
ON A SPARE TRACK
One of the key advantages of a steam locomotive is its ‘omnivorousness’. There have been cases where railway workers managed to complete a route using dried roach or manure as fuel. Because of this, after steam locomotives were replaced by diesel and electric locomotives, many countries — primarily the USSR — transferred them to reserve in case of a major war or natural disasters. In some countries, such as Zimbabwe, this practice continues today, but most countries have abandoned this idea.EXTREME ALTITUDE
A special type of airship that deserves attention is the stratospheric airship. Developers at Sceye in the United States have made the most progress in creating one. Equipped with electric motors and solar panels, the 82-metre giant travelled 10,300km from March 25th to April 6th, ascending in the process to almost 16km. Such devices can be used as communication relays, but, without doubt, the military will also pay attention to the project.WITH THE SPEED OF WIND
The first historical speed record of the automotive era also belongs to an electric car: in 1899, Belgian Camille Jenatzy, in the car La Jamais Contente, overcame the psychological barrier of 100km per hour.By Anton Popov
