Technological progress has, in the grand, epoch-spanning scheme of things, raised living standards across the world in an astonishingly short space of time. In the span of 100 years, personal transport has gone from loud, unreliable motorised wagons to highly-efficient electric cars capable of travelling hundreds of miles on a single charge. In just 20 years, mobile phones have transformed from simple devices to handheld computers, complete with 4K video and AI capabilities.