Technology is ever evolving and while humanity has come pretty far when it comes to incredible inventions (hello, self-driving car of the future), there are advancements made monthly – with the following trends set to become talking points – and reality for many – soon enough.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence integration is on the cards especially as companies are working on meeting the new remote access demands of consumers and manufacturers. The shift of AI from having processes done via purely automated responses is now shifting to allowing AI to grow and evolve into something that is becoming more autonomous. Though this raises a host of questions from people who have 2001: A Space Odyssey in mind or worry about AI evolving into an uncanny valley situation. This shift, however, can only bring good things, especially by giving people a personalised experience in areas such as the medical field.
3D Printing
While 3D printing was hyped about some years ago, experts predict that 2021 will be the year that it really starts to showcase its full potential to the public. MakerBot has released a report which show that 74% of companies plan to put money into the 3D printing industry and invest in it, in 2021. Markets which would benefit from including 3D printing technology in their fields include dentistry, which presently uses it to help with surgical guides, crowns and even moulds for dental alignment.
Extended Reality
With our current reality more than a bit dreary, the phrase ‘extended reality’ covers all spheres of life with virtual addons, namely Artificial Reality, Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality. The most well marketed product which uses mixed reality is Microsoft’s latest release of the HoloLens 2, a pair of smart glasses that use mixed reality and have no wires or external packs. It’s a very small self-contained computer with Wi-Fi, that should be equipped with everything you need to work – or to use it for leisure. It is currently the benchmark for competitors.
Augmented Reality Glasses
Tying into the above trend is the more budget-friendly AR glasses – with companies now looking to investigate a way to better connect them to consumers smartphones. This will assist in having the AR glasses costs beginning to decrease and become more widely available, as mobile phone operators and smartphone brands consider investing and creating custom items for consumers. Augmented Reality glasses would be a great way to see family face to face as it were, along with making mobile gaming more interactive.
Data Security
While not as glamourous in name as some of the other upcoming trends, data security is an important area which looks to grow in leaps and bounds in the coming year. As more and more employees opt to work remotely due to convenience, the worry of data being hacked through a remote worker – along with other areas in which data is susceptible to outside threats – grows. Companies will be looking at ways to make data more secure, especially with regards to cloud hosting sites becoming the main storage space of companies around the world who have offices and remote workers in various countries.