Technology advances not so much when it exhibits innovation, but when
it becomes truly practical for everyday people. 2015 saw a lot of that
as voice assistants started to show how they could live in the home and
in mobile devices, always listening for their names, and super computers
got to work on language translation and cancer cures.
In 2016, we’ll see an acceleration of that shift of technologies from
the drawing board and geek-only curiosities to consumer devices that
change our lives in ways small and big. Here are a handful of
technologies that are on the cusp of major action in the coming year.
For
decades, artificial intelligence was a thing best understood by sci-fi
fanatics and screenwriters. Regular people simply didn’t encounter it in
any tangible way. That started to change n 2011 with Apple’s Siri voice
assistant, but 2015 turned out to be a watershed year for computer
algorithms that could ape human thought and interaction.
In 2016, products like Apple's Siri, Google Now, Amazon's Alexa and Microsoft's Cortana
will continue their steady march into our lives, especially as tech
companies begin to connect the dots between the smart home and office,
mobile devices and these always-listening assistants. Soon we’ll all be
programming our coffee makers with voice commands and getting love
advice from our phones.
Simultaneously, the most powerful of these artificial minds (think IBM’s Watson and its cognitive computing mind — which can make a mean barbeque sauce)
will try their hands at helping world leaders solve intractable
problems. These artificial minds won't offer assistance by delivering
nonsense technobabble advice, but by literally listening to world
chatter on social media, analyzing the data and returning concrete
information and forward-looking intel that humans might not be able to
synthesize on their own.
Advanced materials
Graphene is an allotrope of carbon
in which carbon atoms are arranged in a monolayer and bonded covalently
forming a hexagonal structure. The material is around 100 times stronger
than steel by weight, and transports electrons very efficiently
Image: Corbis
Sure,
it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but people will always react to
the outside because it’s what they can see and feel. That’s why material
sciences are so important to the world of technology. Advancement in
this area will, in addition to many other things, define the next
generation of home entertainment and mobile devices.
Areas to watch in 2016 include recyclable thermoplastics,
which are essentially super-strong plastics – the kind used in
smartphone bodies – that can be broken down by another active agent
(possibly acid). They could start showing up in high-end phones this
year and may help redefine their look and feel.
There will also be more display advancements, especially in the glass
covering the display as Corning is surely prepping its next edition of
super-hard yet pliable Gorilla Glass and Japanese competitors work on what may eventually be a Gorilla rival.
And the nearly mythical material known as graphene
(an atom thick and incredibly strong and conductive) may move into the
practical application zone as researchers have finally figured out how
to make it far more cheaply than before. Is 2016 the year we see the first graphene-based CPU?
Smart objects
A smart phone with objects inside.
Image: TongRo Images, Corbis
This
year, people will spend less time talking about “The Internet of
Things” and “Smart Homes” and focus on “Smart Objects,” every-day
products that now have a little bit of data-gathering and connectivity
built in. These objects will connect to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth — directly
to your smartphone through a hub — but will look no different than dumb
objects. This is by no means a new trend, but intelligence will start to
pop up in unexpected places like placemats, table cloths, coffee cups,
door handles, doormats, lawn sprinklers, office chairs and more.
Most will simple tell you when they’re being used, for how long and
at what time of the day. You’ll use this information to adjust your own
habits and to track the activities of others (think an office
situation).
Essentially, these smart objects will focus on helping you quantify
your lives. What you do with all that information is up to you.
Robotics
Robots working in laboratory
Image: Digital Art, Corbis
As long as movies like Star Wars: The Force Awakens exist, we will be forever disappointed by our robots. The chasm between fantasy and reality is simply too big.
For the realists among us, though, 2016 will bring some positive advancement as promised home and family robots like Jibo finally arrive and more advanced humanoids like Pepper
begin dotting global corporate offices and show rooms. At the same
time, toy, STEM, telepresence, and home appliance robots will continue
to sell reasonably well in 2016.
Sadly, C3PO and BB-8 (no, not the awesome, but still limited BB-8 by Sphero, I mean the real one) are still years, if not decades, away.
Virtual Reality
Girl Using Virtual Reality Simulator
Image: George Logan, Corbis
2016
should be virtual reality’s biggest test. Millions of consumers spent
the holidays unboxing their first VR headset. Most, I’m guessing, were
probably both awed and maybe a little disappointed. The content that
exists is compelling, but it remains limited.
This year, Oculus Rift
will finally arrive and with it will come what might best be called
“Next-Level VR Story-telling.” Imagine not only experiencing rich VR
content, but also becoming part of the story.
Instead of IMAX, it’s You-MAX; an immersive screen of content wherever
you look and characters that are not only aware you’re there, but react
to your “physical presence.”
This level of virtual reality will remain prohibitively expensive
throughout 2016, but there will be many people throwing Oculus VR
parties in 2016. Just pray you get an invite.
Bio-Security
Biometric security.
Image: Science Photo Library, Corbis
In
2015, we saw more than a few attempts at biometric security, including
the finally useful fingerprint recognition found on Apple and Android
smartphones and tablets, the disappointing Myris and gesture-based security. The best of the bunch, though, was the facial recognition software and hardware found in many Windows 10-based systems.
Windows Hello won’t work without Intel’s Real3Dcamera, but when it does work, it’s flawless.
Expect many more Hello-enabled computers this year and other tech
companies switching from forgettable password-based systems to similar
and other biometric security systems.
Mobile Payments
Accepting card payment on mobile device.
Image: Leigh Righton, Corbis
Mobile
payments systems have achieved a sort of ubiquity without anything near
ubiquitous use. As one expert told me in 2015, the mobile payment
universe is still a very small pie. 2016, though, will be the year of the chip.
Take a look at the credit card your bank just sent you. It has a chip
in it and retailers around the world are switching to chip systems. The
difference will be that you no longer swipe your card and instead insert
it into a point-of-sale slot (Europeans are very familiar with this
system).
This doesn’t help or hurt mobile payment systems like Apple Pay,
Android Pay or Samsung Pay, but may slow down adoption as people find a
new and, perhaps, even more convenient way to use their credit cards.
Drones
27 Jan 2012, Los Angeles, California, USA —- Aerial view of drone carrying package in cloudy sky.
Image: John Lund, Blend Images, Corbis
Drone registration
will probably slow down the consumer drone market a bit this year, but
make no mistake, 2016 will still be filled with drone advancements.
There will be drones big enough to carry people (this might also be a real "hoverboard") and a lot more indoor toy drones.
Drone deliveries should begin in earnest before the end of the year, though recent mishaps with commercial filming drones could result in more consumer pushback than Amazon and, perhaps, Walmart are expecting.
Hoverboards V2
2015 didn’t end so well for "hoverboards." Sure, these two-wheel personal mobility devices sold extremely well, but there were countless reports of fires and injuries.
Still, people love to ride them
and by holiday time this year we’ll see a new generation of Swagways
and other riders with certified batteries, “Made-in-America” stickers
and optional handles (the big innovation!).
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