Position Paper #3 Forecasting The Future

The Future Is Upon Us!

    The future is bright for technology coming in the next couple years. If you look back in the past, we come a long way from what we used to be. In the past, the most you could get from technology was from flip phones and stationary computers. Now our access to the Internet is through many different devices such as laptops, smartphones, smart watches, and tablets. The world constantly changes overtime, the possibilities are endless for technology. Technology is one of most major factors of everyday life that is essential to society. Everything we do from when we wake up to until we fall asleep involves some sort of technology. With every passing moment, a new device is being drawn up with far more features than its former device. Older social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube add new components to their platforms to keep with the latest social media trends. Whether you like it or not, the future is mainly and centrally going to be technology from here on out. Some may fall behind on the latest technologies or some will play into the advancements and upgrade entirely. I will list technology trends in near future. According to European Business Review, these are some technology trends that will emerge in the latter years. 

    1. The Internet of Behaviour at Workplace- It may quite interest you to know that one of the Gartner’s top technology trends for 2021 is highly based on the internet of behaviour, it says: “As demonstrated by the COVID-19 protocol monitoring example, the IoB is about using data to change behaviours. With an increase in technologies that gather the “digital dust” of daily life — data that spans the digital and physical worlds — that information can be used to influence behaviours through feedback loops.” And no wonder! This increasing sophistication of the IoT technology has enabled high-end growth– and has the potential to dominate in the upcoming years.

     2. By 2025, it is estimated that there will be more than 21 billion IoT devices- Looking back into the past, we can deduce the trend of IoT device adoption. From mere 4.7 billion things connected to the internet in 2016, the market in 2021 will increase to about 11.6 billion IoT devices – according to IoT Analytics – which can directly boost the IoT technology growth by multi-folds in coming years.

    3. IoT growth will be fuelled by the advent of 5G- The world is on a verge of the next major telecommunication innovation of 5G. All major wireless carriers are gearing up to roll out 5G in near future. This promises greater connectivity of IoT devices in remote locations with faster speeds. This will invariably fuel the innovation at the organizations that make IoT devices with a boost in overall consumer demand in 2021 and beyond. 

    4. Automobiles will get even smarter-Automobile Industry is about to get into a higher gear. All thanks to the established 5G shift with the development of driverless cars, connected vehicles. It will create wonders! The latest and the greatest cars will increasingly collect and process driving data and behaviors which will then be used to improve the driving experience and safety on roads. Commercial automobiles will also benefit from the fast and reliable networks – often a rarity in remote areas before 5G – to be always connected and leveraging faster data speeds making the overall automobile industry high-tech in coming years.

    5. Smart Public Infrastructure- The biggest beneficiary of IoT can be no other than public infrastructure. The vast capability of IoT to integrate itself in the public infrastructure like street lights, roads, rails and bridges will immensely help to realize the dream of a smart city in the 21st century. Many cities around the world have recently replaced the millions of streetlamps with smart LED streetlights that will only turn on when a pedestrian or car approaches near it and will automatically turn off when there is no prolonged movement in its coverage area. This has led to considerable power saving which has prompted more and more cities around the world to join the bandwagon.

    6.Traffic Congestion Management- Take any big metropolis in the world, heavy traffic and congestion are the biggest pains leading people to spend more time on the road on weekdays than with their family. Long commutes are eradicating the economic productivity in the metro areas around the world – making the never-ending traffic a big cause of concern. The IoT is ready to tackle this problem as well. For example, Tel Aviv – you might know this as a large metropolis in Israel but what you may not know is that this one has one lane reserved on busy roads for buses and shuttles. If anyone is in a hurry, they also can use this lane albeit at some extra cost. Technically speaking, the sensors built into the asphalt road can immediately identify a drivers’ license plates and automatically charge them for using the “priority lane”. However, there is no basic fee, it depends upon how busy the road was. Pretty neat, isn’t it? Source: Technological Trends That Are Emerging 

Another advancement in technology that I acknowledged is on the rise is AR. Now we all know AI which stands for Artificial Intelligence had big success in 2020 with introduction of AI products. AR is taking a shot in the ring for advancements like never before. AR is stepping up their game offering portable AR. Augmented Reality is a touch of your hand. AR is introducing Apple Glass. Apple Glass combines AR and VR all in one. According to a report from Bloomberg, If a new Apple patent is anything to go by, the Apple Glasses could have the power to turn any surface into a touchscreen; we won't hold our breath expecting this to become a reality. A patent reveals Apple's "rings" which are designed for tracking finger and hand movements. Those could well improve the capabilities of Apple Glasses if they make it to production (Apple Glasses). The release date of this brand new technology has been delayed until 2023 at the latest. A lot of moving parts are in place for the launch of this product and are still in its early development stages. We anxiously wait for its introduction to the world.