As we’ve reached halfway through the year, here are the top trend in technology that will impact and transform businesses and everyday lives.
Smart Technology
Smart machines that use artificial intelligence or automation are on the rise, even in small-scale units and smaller implementations. Homes are now becoming smarter as a result of smart technology being used and opted for in homes. But these are just the beginning and will exponentially gain customer value as functionalities are added. An algorithm that can make a cup of coffee while opening the blinds and increasing the bathroom temperature when it senses someone get up is a lot more valuable than the sum of three different algorithms doing these tasks.
Connectivity
People want to feel connected with their peers and other people in their professional and social groups. That often means staying in touch with and typically there’s a desire to also meet people from outside their own network. Being an active and positive member of communities that we professionally a part of as well as facilitating learning and discussion opportunities with peers was already considered very important by many during regular circumstances. This is not likely to change as a result of the pandemic.
Rise Of Chatbots
While most tech advancements help us move towards the greater good, some aren’t as beneficial as we might think. In the last few years, the number of chatbots that were being used was far more than what we expected. Chatbots aren’t, however, always bad because, in some situations, they have improved the customer service that we have access to. Chatbots are a program to respond to certain queries in certain ways and are designed to help customers with some of the more basic functions that they would need. These are, of course, still not in a position wherein they are a complete substitute for real live customer service, which is what has helped them still stay in development.
Mega-constellations of satellites
Over the next few years, SpaceX plans to deploy up to 42,000 satellites to create an Internet connection anywhere on the planet. OneWeb constellation aims to include 600 satellites by 2022, and Amazon has announced plans to launch 3,236 low-orbit satellites to cover white areas. All this is made possible thanks to the low cost of launching these nano-satellites, which weigh barely a few pounds. The deployment in space of so many objects, however, poses problems in terms of interference with other satellite services such as the weather, increasing the risk of collision and disturbing astronomical observation.
Nano-tech
Smaller than micro-chips, the nano-robots are being developed and implemented for variety of purposes. Currently in R&D phases in labs throughout the world, nano-robots are essentially very very tiny sensors with very limited processing power. The first useful applications of these nano-machines may very well be in nano-medicine. For example, biological machines could be used to identify and destroy cancer cells or deliver drugs. Another potential application is the detection of toxic chemicals, and the measurement of their concentrations, in the environment.
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