Technology makes our lives better, from improving health care with personalised tests to allowing a virtual tour of your home prior to buying. But what technologies will impact the future? This article examines 10 emerging trends that could have the potential to change the world.
The 3D printing process was believed to be the next big thing, but there are also some less-popular inventions on this list – like clothing that shrink or grow with temperature and furniture that can be adapted to the brain’s signals. It is also worth looking into the potential of shape memory polymers, which can transform into hard or soft with an event, such as changes in temperature, making them effective in a wide range of applications, including healthcare (pills which only activate at a particular temperature) and fashion (clothes that tighten or get loose when exposed to cold).
Another important technology for the future is edge computing, which allows data processing closer to the place it was created (ultra-low latency) It also ensures data sovereignty and enhanced security, as well as reducing the costs of running data centres. Edge computing is a major element of the Industrial Internet-of-Things, autonomous vehicles drones, robotics with vision, drones and AR/VR.
Space is a different area in which we are seeing extraordinary progress in the field of reusable rockets and satellite technology to the prospect of human-manned missions to Mars or other off-planet colonies. And Of course we continue to develop technologies that will help us fight climate change – from drought-resistant crops to forest fire sensors and carbon removal technology.