The technology we use improves our lives, from personalized healthcare diagnostics to virtual tours of homes prior to when you buy. But what technologies will impact the future? This article explores 10 emerging trends that could have the potential to transform our world.
3D printing may be the technology everyone was hoping would take off however, this list includes a few less well-known developments – like clothing that expand or shrink in response to temperature, and furniture that adapt to the brain’s signals. Shape memory polymers the original source are also worth considering. They can go from being soft to rigid upon a trigger such as the shift in temperature. This makes them suitable for a range of uses which include healthcare (pills which only activate at certain temperatures) and fashion.
Another crucial technology that is expected to emerge in the near future is edge computing, which allows data processing closer to the place it was originally created (ultra-low latency) It also ensures data sovereignty and increased security, while reducing the cost of running data centers. Edge computing is a major element of the Industrial Internet-of-Things, autonomous vehicles and drones that are vision-guided and AR/VR.
Space is a different area in which we are seeing extraordinary progress in the area of reusable rockets, satellite technology to the prospect of manned missions to Mars or other off-planet colonies. We are also working on developing technologies to help fight climate change, from drought-resistant crops to sensors for forest fires to carbon removal technology.