Clearly, they would have started their own efforts. I am not aware of great breakthroughs purely within the Orient.
Plus, what effect did this have on their collectively psyche and culture? In this case I am referring to China and Japan, but mostly out of ignorance.
What I'm trying to understand is: what would it have been like if the Orient had developed what we know understand as "tech" and the West trailed? What if it were all reversed?
In direct answer to your question, I would definitely not group all the Asian countries together. The consensus is that China was insular, and the weaknesses of the Qing dynasty in this regard is exemplified in the Sino-Japanese War and the Opium Wars. Which is why the focus of my answer will be Japan.
Japan reacted extremely positively to Westernisation - plenty of intellectuals at the time, such as Fukuzawa Yukichi called for rapid modernization and the abandonment of the Samurai code. Japan saw itself, with Westernization, at the head of Asia, and the harbinger of civilization. After the Meiji restoration, Japan's doors were opened to the West, beginning with the Kanagawa Treaty of Friendship in 1854 and subsequent treaties of friendship with Britain, Russia and Holland.
What was considered as xenophobia later morphed into xenophilia, with intense obsession with westernization, modernization and militarisation. Japan turned to Western political, administrative and economic structures, emulating the Western institutions and adopting the use of modern technology and the Western social structure. Throwing away traditions, Japanese intellectuals began to study overseas and bring back ideas to Japan, along with translating the works of the Enlightenment such as philosophy and literature. Crucially, this Westernization saw Japan try to emulate European colonization, beginning with Hokkaido in 1878 and later Korea and ultimately China.
As for your final question, I do not exactly know what you are trying to say. To pin the technological revolution we would have to go way back. It is impossible to say what it would have been like if the Industrial Revolution happened in China. China invented paper, gunpowder, and all sorts of important products simultaneously with the West, and to say China 'trailed' is not exactly true. However, in my opinion where Asia did trail concerns colonialism, imperialism and militarization. Without imperialist exploitations, Asian countries were not able to have as strong wealth and economies as the West, and as we all know economy dictates how powerful a country really is.