With a new year not far away, tech experts and commentators have already begun speculating on what we can expect from 2015 in terms of new technologies, both from a business and consumer perspective. So what are some of the most prominent examples?
1. 3D printers: The demand for 3D printers is expected to soar over the latter half of this decade, with their use in the business & consumer markets too numerous to mention. From food, to interior design, to medicine and the replacement of internal organs, the potential of 3D printers has been touted as life-altering. The only two main limitations are, of course, the safety & ethics of the technology and of course the cost. However, as with all pioneering technologies, cost-effectiveness is expected to improve over time.
2. The Internet of Things: This is a generic term for the rise of inter-connected homes; indeed there is some debate over what the Internet of Things actually constitutes. Put simply, it refers to the way in which household items will be able to communicate with remote devices such as smart phones and PCs. Common household objects such as ovens, fridges or even electric toothbrushes will become programmable, allowing their use to be controlled more readily
3. The Rise of Clouds: We’re not talking about the white fluffy variety here; much like the Internet of Things, cloud technology heralds the rise of an ever increasingly connected world and new ways of storing data. This means that remote devices and databases are increasingly connected to larger search engines. This will, of course, raise wider questions of storage and data protection, especially with concerns over the recent hacking of Apple’s iCloud.
4. Immersive Content: This refers to rise of increasingly interactive games and television programmes, which will engage with the users’ sensory perceptions to a much greater extent than our current television and gaming platforms. Imagine watching future Olympic Games on an immersive channel, which allows you to feel as though you are participating in the games yourself.
5. Digital Health: A rising trend is our use of smartphones and electronic devices to monitor our health, e.g. heart rate, blood pressure, and some are calling this the rise of the “Quantified Self”, with this industry expected to explode in the coming years.
1. 3D printers: The demand for 3D printers is expected to soar over the latter half of this decade, with their use in the business & consumer markets too numerous to mention. From food, to interior design, to medicine and the replacement of internal organs, the potential of 3D printers has been touted as life-altering. The only two main limitations are, of course, the safety & ethics of the technology and of course the cost. However, as with all pioneering technologies, cost-effectiveness is expected to improve over time.
2. The Internet of Things: This is a generic term for the rise of inter-connected homes; indeed there is some debate over what the Internet of Things actually constitutes. Put simply, it refers to the way in which household items will be able to communicate with remote devices such as smart phones and PCs. Common household objects such as ovens, fridges or even electric toothbrushes will become programmable, allowing their use to be controlled more readily
3. The Rise of Clouds: We’re not talking about the white fluffy variety here; much like the Internet of Things, cloud technology heralds the rise of an ever increasingly connected world and new ways of storing data. This means that remote devices and databases are increasingly connected to larger search engines. This will, of course, raise wider questions of storage and data protection, especially with concerns over the recent hacking of Apple’s iCloud.
4. Immersive Content: This refers to rise of increasingly interactive games and television programmes, which will engage with the users’ sensory perceptions to a much greater extent than our current television and gaming platforms. Imagine watching future Olympic Games on an immersive channel, which allows you to feel as though you are participating in the games yourself.
5. Digital Health: A rising trend is our use of smartphones and electronic devices to monitor our health, e.g. heart rate, blood pressure, and some are calling this the rise of the “Quantified Self”, with this industry expected to explode in the coming years.