Glass - High Tech in Every Era

From the Stone Age

 

Volcanic Glass

                 

To the Computer Age

Windows that Generate Electricity

In every historical period glass has been a material that was and still is a crucial part of the technology of the period. The obsidian pictured above was an important technology for many Stone Age societies. Because it is created when lava cools too quickly for minerals to form, volcanic glass or obsidian is found only where there was volcanic activity. The cutting edge of obsidian was an important part of Stone Age technology that is still used on some surgical instruments today.

Roman Glass Vase

The use and production of glass during the Roman Empire was primarily for containers. The invention of the blowpipe in Syria made the production of glass much faster and easier. Glass containers were an important technological change for the safe storage and shipment of food and wine in the period. Many of the containers used prior to this contained metal, like lead, that reacted with the food and drink in them. Glass containers were a technological leap forward in food safety and in the storage and shipping of food and beverages.

Medieval Clear Glass

During the period from 1,000 AD to 1,700 AD, the techniques to produce glass allowed for flat glass to be produced. Led by the Venetians, flat glass for windows included most colors of the visible spectrum as well as clear glass. The production of clear, flat glass was important because it offered windows in architecture that let light in but kept the weather out. It also produced the beautiful stained glass windows in cathedrals and churches that are the defining characteristics of those structures.

                       

Medieval Stained Glass Window

In the modern computer age, glass continues to be a part of and crucial to the newest technological innovations. Fiber optics, as pictured below, are probably the best known use of glass in the electronics industry. The optical characteristics of glass fibers allow light to be transmitted from one end of an optical cable to the other with minimal transmission loss and no interference.

Fiber Optic Cable

But glass has consistently been at the forefront of technological innovation and it continues in that manner today. The latest glass innovation is a flexible glass that comes from the Corning Glass Company. Willow Glass , shown below, enables displays for curved surfaces, for thin, light electronic devices, and also offers high temperature tolerances.

Flexible Willow Glass

The above photo shows the most astounding property of flexibility that Willow Glass offers. The photo below shows how those characteristics will be applied in consumer electronic products.

Flexible Display on a Tablet Computer 

Glass is an amazing material that has changed over time and has been at the forefront of technological change in every historical period. From obsidian to Willow Glass, it continues to change to meet what is needed as human society evolves. Interestingly, since the Stone Age, glass has not been directly weaponized, unlike most other materials.

Research Questions

• How has obsidian been used historically and why is it still used today?
• How has research and development changed glass over time?
• How is glass likely to change in the near future?