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5 Technologies That Will Change Your Life
By Steve Tobak | December 23, 2010
The technology world is well-known for its hype and hyperbole, not to mention more than a little vaporware. And, as part of the industry for more than a quarter century, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s more of a skeptic than I am.
A lot of stuff hasn’t lived up to the hype, and there’s sure to be plenty more:
In any case, if you go back 25 years or so, you’ve got to admit, we’ve come a long way. Ultrathin and light PCs, smartphones, large flat-panel displays, touch screens, DVRs, the Internet and everything it enabled, it’s a whole new world we now live in.
So, looking forward a bit, there are five technologies - actually applications that utilize lots of different enabling technologies - that are already here today and have the potential to dramatically alter the way we live.
1. Smart infrastructure. Japan had smart highways decades ago and America’s just now getting around to digital power meters. Still, the world is becoming too complex to physically monitor everything. Wireless sensor networks that enable the remote management of assets, systems, buildings, even cities, are just beginning to take off. And they’ll make everything that matters easier and more efficient.
2. Robotics. From cleaning our homes to taking care of our rapidly aging population, from medical procedures to industrial factories, robots of every shape and size are slowly but surely changing the way we work and live. Yes, it’s an evolutionary process, but the core computing, communications, sensor, and mechanical technologies are continuing to advance at a rapid pace. There are robots in your future.
3. Motion sensing. It’s starting with video games, of course, but the applications for technology that allows us to control electronics without having to touch anything is virtually limitless. When combined with speech recognition and other related technologies, just imagine a world where you can interact seamlessly with computing and communications devices that are essentially invisible.
4. Smart cars. The technology for self-driven cars is being developed and tested as you read this, but its broad usage is still a long way off. In the mean time, however, cars are becoming more and more aware of what’s going on inside and outside the vehicle. In terms of keeping us safe from each other and ourselves, and making cars more reliable and efficient, there’s a lot of good stuff under the hood.
5. LED lighting and OLED display technology. One of the most consistent aspects of just about every depiction of a future world is amorphous lighting that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere. Not only can ultrathin LED lights be embedded in almost anything, but organic LED or OLED technology enables ultrathin displays that can, get this, be rolled up and formed into all kinds of shapes.
Put all this together and you may wake up one day in a world where our critical infrastructure is smart, safe, and optimized; robots make our lives easier; we can control everything through speech and motion; lights and displays become part of the walls and furniture, and you can get from point A to point B almost without thinking about it. And this isn’t future stuff. It’s here now.
Pretty cool, huh? What’s next? Cyber implants, invisibility cloaking, and of course, “Beam me up, Scotty,” what else?
By Steve Tobak | December 23, 2010
The technology world is well-known for its hype and hyperbole, not to mention more than a little vaporware. And, as part of the industry for more than a quarter century, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who’s more of a skeptic than I am.
A lot of stuff hasn’t lived up to the hype, and there’s sure to be plenty more:
- Virtual reality, for one thing, comes to mind.
- I won’t be surprised if home 3D falls flat, as well, at least until we can chuck the glasses. Yes, I’ve seen demos of 3D technology without the glasses. It’s coming … eventually.
- Come to think of it, I don’t really get electric cars, either. I mean, why pay more for a car you have to plug in when you can get a hybrid?
In any case, if you go back 25 years or so, you’ve got to admit, we’ve come a long way. Ultrathin and light PCs, smartphones, large flat-panel displays, touch screens, DVRs, the Internet and everything it enabled, it’s a whole new world we now live in.
So, looking forward a bit, there are five technologies - actually applications that utilize lots of different enabling technologies - that are already here today and have the potential to dramatically alter the way we live.
1. Smart infrastructure. Japan had smart highways decades ago and America’s just now getting around to digital power meters. Still, the world is becoming too complex to physically monitor everything. Wireless sensor networks that enable the remote management of assets, systems, buildings, even cities, are just beginning to take off. And they’ll make everything that matters easier and more efficient.
2. Robotics. From cleaning our homes to taking care of our rapidly aging population, from medical procedures to industrial factories, robots of every shape and size are slowly but surely changing the way we work and live. Yes, it’s an evolutionary process, but the core computing, communications, sensor, and mechanical technologies are continuing to advance at a rapid pace. There are robots in your future.
3. Motion sensing. It’s starting with video games, of course, but the applications for technology that allows us to control electronics without having to touch anything is virtually limitless. When combined with speech recognition and other related technologies, just imagine a world where you can interact seamlessly with computing and communications devices that are essentially invisible.
4. Smart cars. The technology for self-driven cars is being developed and tested as you read this, but its broad usage is still a long way off. In the mean time, however, cars are becoming more and more aware of what’s going on inside and outside the vehicle. In terms of keeping us safe from each other and ourselves, and making cars more reliable and efficient, there’s a lot of good stuff under the hood.
5. LED lighting and OLED display technology. One of the most consistent aspects of just about every depiction of a future world is amorphous lighting that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere. Not only can ultrathin LED lights be embedded in almost anything, but organic LED or OLED technology enables ultrathin displays that can, get this, be rolled up and formed into all kinds of shapes.
Put all this together and you may wake up one day in a world where our critical infrastructure is smart, safe, and optimized; robots make our lives easier; we can control everything through speech and motion; lights and displays become part of the walls and furniture, and you can get from point A to point B almost without thinking about it. And this isn’t future stuff. It’s here now.
Pretty cool, huh? What’s next? Cyber implants, invisibility cloaking, and of course, “Beam me up, Scotty,” what else?
