As technology keeps improving and making our lives easier, it’s fascinating to see some of the ways it changes the world around us. The following are some great examples of how the latest technology has allowed us to step back in time by improving ideas that have been around for a long time.

Live Casino Games with Human Dealers

Gambling has been around for many centuries but the first modern casinos started to spring up in Italy in the 17th century. At this point, games like roulette and blackjack were new, and the dealers no doubt had to explain the rules to some players while dealing cards or spinning the wheel.

Fast forward to the start of the 21st century and these games were now firmly established but were increasingly played online on virtual tables. Live dealers were no longer part of the game and this role appeared to be on the way out.

Yet, when we look at the latest casino promotions and offers, we can see how live casino games are now heavily featured. The offer of bonus play on live games covers titles such as French Roulette Live and Royal Blackjack Live, with human dealers live-streamed onto the screen.

By adding the human touch back into their games, developers have returned to the roots of casinos while using new technology smartly.

Wind Power Coming Back to the Shipping Industry

As early as 500 BCE, builders and engineers discovered that sails could drive large vessels more efficiently than oars. The widespread adoption of wind power led to increasingly large cargo vessels taking people and products around the planet in the Middle Ages.

In the 18th century, the emergence of the screw propeller driven by a steam engine marked the end of the age of the sail. The petrol engine then entered the scene in 1886 and quickly took over as the main propulsion method.

However, the growth of the global economy saw the amount of freight transported by sea rising from 0.1 billion metric tons in 1980 to 1.95 billion in 2021, according to Statista.

This has led to concerns about the impact on the environment, which has inspired the invention of the world’s first wind-powered cargo ship called Pyxis Ocean. It set sail in 2023, working on a combination of sails and engine power but with the possibility of working on wind power alone in the future.

Stargazing Is Now Easy Even When Indoors

We need to go back in time to around 1000 BCE to find the first astronomical observations.

Cultures around the planet used rudimentary tools or the naked eye to try to work out the mysteries high above them in the skies. The first telescope was invented in the Netherlands at the start of the 17th century, with Galileo Galilei helping to refine it.

While the 20th century saw a huge number of people moving to brightly lit cities with few chances to observe the natural sky, studying the stars and planets was largely done by professional astronomers in well-equipped observatories.

However, mobile apps like Night Sky and Sky Safari now use GPS and augmented reality to bring the skies to life for anyone and we can even use some of them indoors with no need for a telescope.

These examples show how great ideas from the past have been brought back into our lives thanks to the clever use of the latest technology. They also cause us to wonder when technology will next revive an old idea.