Being able to think long term is essential to
a functioning company. As the population continues to grow and evolve, more
people are seeking opportunities beyond traditional industries like
manufacturing and retail. We have seen this trend play out at work in recent
years as well. It appears that many companies will continue to leverage
technology to ensure their operations continue for generations to come. This
list is made up of products from some of these future technologies and what
they may mean for our businesses in the near-to-medium future.
1. Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of
most important topics in society today. While AI can be used by almost any
industry, it is especially useful in new areas such as cybersecurity, machine
automation, medical diagnosis, facial recognition, voice control, etc. For
example, self-driving cars are already being developed that use AI to be able
to see and avoid pedestrians. These car systems are already capable of
identifying obstacles before they appear, slowing down when a pedestrian is
approaching, and even detecting the slightest sound of someone walking. Not
only do we even get to drive in driverless vehicles, but our daily lives are
greatly simplified and even times are saved. Although it has been around for
just over a decade, AI is now becoming a much larger part of everyday life.
According to Business Insider, there are more than 20 different types of
artificial intelligence: “conversational interfaces” that can converse with
customers on the phone by using simple human requests or commands like
requesting information, booking tickets, offering suggestions, and more to help
us manage our day, and natural language processing, which helps machines
understand what you are saying in order to give you the exact answers you might
need. But there is more…
In addition to helping us drive from point A
to B without error, machines could also analyze data we put into them to better
identify threats and improve the security of large networks. As machines become
smarter about how we think and react to certain situations, we can expect other
devices like drones to soon make decisions on their own too. With computers,
robots, and even autonomous drones, the way we live will dramatically change.
Robots have already started to perform tasks we can’t even imagine doing. From
driving your car, taking care of housework or babysitting, cleaning your room,
and even helping doctors diagnose conditions they may not be aware of. Just
imagine a world where cars could automatically perform all your chores for you!
Or if homes had robot maids.
The possibilities of the future look very
exciting. Here is more on this topic from Forbes Magazine.
2. Selfie Cameras
There are several problems with personal
privacy when it comes to smartphones. At first glance, this may seem strange,
especially because one could argue that smartphones actually let us choose.
Instead of showing people who they are or what they are doing in person, users
are instead forced to reveal their identity on the outside world through camera
roll or pictures. So how does this affect the internet? Since most social media
platforms rely heavily on user photos being shown, an increase in cameras would
likely lead to many distractions for Internet users. They could simply snap a
selfie while they were out, leading them to miss out on seeing their friends’
faces, or worse yet, find themselves in awkward, embarrassing situations that
nobody remembers from memory.
When it comes to getting people to stop having
this problem, there is always going to be something new to try. Some solutions
include biometric passports, which are made specifically for individual
identification. Others include augmented reality glasses that could give people
the ability to select an item in real time. There are also a range of smart
glasses that could monitor your movement, such as Google Glasses, Apple Wipro,
and others, which can track heart rate, heart rate variability, blood oxygen
levels, and so much more. Companies like Intel, Uber, and Microsoft are working
on ways to bring about an easier version of this solution, but for now, these
are mostly limited to applications within specific industries.
3. Augmented Reality
Let’s face it; no matter what field of science
fiction you turn to when you need a little extra magic on top of existing
solutions, nothing can beat the AR world. Imagine bringing yourself to the
streets of New York City, having three to four million dollars of futuristic
tech that allows the city to transform right into a fully immersive place. How
could you resist?
As opposed to its current application in
virtual reality games, AR technology can be used in a multitude of places too,
including digital signage, advertising campaigns, video content channels,
consumer goods, and much more. Because the technology works in nearly every
scenario, there is bound to be some sort of form that a system of this kind can
take. Whether it will be just for fun by going surfing or a more serious issue
for business purposes, we can’t really tell. Right now, however, this
technology could possibly be used more for entertainment purposes. By putting a
VR headset on top of your television screen and playing Pokemon GO on your phone,
you give yourself a much better experience than most other gamers. Sure, AR
could be used even on desktops and laptops, for instance, but the fact that
such advanced equipment isn’t available everywhere means more consumers have to
take advantage of the technology. What may not be surprising is that the
technology currently being released might not be even close to being ready for
widespread use in our homes.
4. Virtual Power Plants
Virtual power plants are an emerging concept
in renewable energy. Virtual Power Plants are essentially farms that act as
generators or turbines, producing electricity that humans can enjoy as normal
citizens of Earth. Typically located on rooftops and buildings, they are
designed to absorb sunlight and release water vapor back into space. When a
plant is powered off and on by solar panels, it produces a steady stream of
income for both the developer and the local community. One of the biggest
projects to date has been the Greenhouse Project in San Francisco. An estimated
$12 million was invested in creating an entirely new greenhouse farm that would
provide clean power, eliminate pollution, and make sure everyone got enough
fresh air to breathe, not just rich people. The idea behind this project is
pretty simple… the goal of the greenhouse farm, according to founder Dan Hill,
is to be able to produce enough power to keep the lights on in a small village.
If one solar panels can generate up to 10kW of power, then what hope did anyone
need to go elsewhere but home? Simply put, it was an innovative attempt to
solve an issue in climate change. No doubt, this makes perfect sense. However,
what is interesting about virtual power plants is that even though the amount
of heat needed for the greenhouses is significantly less than what most humans
need for a normal day, the total energy production still needs to increase by
several hundred percent and there are still significant emissions involved.
This is due to fossil fuels burning and releasing methane, carbon dioxide and
other gases that don’t contribute towards saving the environment.
In the same way that solar panels are
necessary for the advancement of our civilization, these plants require
thousands of pounds of soil and hundreds of trees to create the huge crops.
Nowadays, farming is incredibly labor intensive and has many benefits, but the
reality of it is much different. Due to rapid technological changes, farmers
can produce whatever crops they want. Farmers no longer need to worry about
harvesting crops, which allows them the freedom to produce bigger yields, but
the cost of growing crops grows exponentially each year. According to CNBC, if
food prices quadrupled, it would make up for 80% of global GDP. This is because
the average price of grain across America is approximately $15,000 while it is
only 5% for grain grown in China. So the money required to feed a single family
gets drastically cut and the next generation receives free meals from companies
like Amazon, WalMart, McDonald’s, and other big corporations. Without access to
such companies, how do families ever afford fruits and vegetables? Even though
a lot of land around the world is used for developing the worlds’ natural
resources, the fact remains that our planet is dying due to natural causes. Who
can argue with a plant providing the food needed for a majority of the world’s
population? Unfortunately, though, the possibility of virtual power plants
exist and will only continue to be relevant as long as the price of oil
continues to climb at an increasing rate.
5. Smart Cities and Urban Autonomous Vehicles
We are only two decades into the 21st century,
but cities and urban areas are starting to realize the impact that technology
has on urban living in general. For the past half century, the entire public
sector has tried to develop efficient processes to combat the overwhelming
amounts of traffic and negative impacts this makes on the quality of life in
the public parks and public spaces of our country. This has led to countless
attempts to make communities more accessible and safe by implementing various
forms of transportation. Such as underground and surface mass transit, as well
as ride sharing services and bicycles. Our modern cities are slowly moving away
from the usage of cars and vans and into trains and buses and eventually, to
electric and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Over the decades, there has been
massive progress in the development of AVs. However, we might have missed the
mark, because what we’ve really gotten is a glimpse of the full potential
possibilities of AVs that could truly benefit the cities and citizens.
With the growth in technology, it is clear
today that cities and other urban centers don’t need more roads, bridges, and
tunnels. All that could be done is to make transportation accessible and safe.
Currently, millions of tons of scrap metal, concrete, and steel and other
wastes are left scattered in.
0 Comments