5+1 Technologies on the Horizon: A Look at What the Future Holds
In 2021, Meta, through a partnership with Luxottica, introduced augmented reality Ray-Ban smart glasses with built-in technology for phone conversations, images, movies, and music. According to The Verge, the tech giant will introduce two further iterations of these spectacles in the fall of 2023 and 2025. This is just one of the many developing technologies that will change the future.
Our modern world has seen the development and improvement of different mind-blowing technologies, and these inventions are getting better every day. With the fast-paced production and development in the tech industry, we expect even better mechanics in the future. Here, we explore the top six technologies to look out for.
Blockchain
The blockchain is a distributed, immutable ledger that records transactions and tracks assets in a networked environment. These assets could be tangible, like real estate, vehicles, money, and land, or intangible, like ideas and trademarks. However, it’s best known for providing a trustworthy and decentralised ledger of cryptocurrency transactions.
Blockchain applications are broad. They have given rise to crypto casinos where you can gamble with Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and other altcoins. If you’re a bettor looking for the best of these platforms, you can discover the most reliable casino sites rated by nongamstopuk.casino. In finance, it enables real-time verification of financial documents and authenticated KYC/AML data, which help reduce operational risks.
Security, transparency, and easy data traceability are a few benefits of the blockchain. Developers are working to make the network even more secure. Therefore, with time, the technology will be used in many industries for recording transactions and other functions.
Quantum Computing
Today’s computers are powered by chips that do calculations using bits. These bits are helpful, but they don’t tell us anything about the universe beyond the binary on/off states, which gave rise to a computing void. This led to the development of quantum computing, which became the foundation of physics, chemistry, and biology.
Quantum computing uses mechanics to alleviate problems beyond the capabilities of traditional computers. The critical components of this technology include qubits, which are quantum-mechanical systems with scalability beyond conventional binary systems.
Multiple companies are making substantial strides in quantum computing, despite the novelty of the technology. IBM made history in January 2019 when it announced the release of the world’s first commercial quantum computer. Google also announced the development of a quantum machine that solves in 200 seconds a complex problem that could take 10 years for a regular computer to solve.
5G Technology and the World Wide
According to Cisco’s study, by 2030, more than 500 billion internet-connected things will be in use worldwide. This includes everything from sensors and actuators to cars and medical equipment. Internet devices will collect data, aggregate it, and provide insights across many platforms, from healthcare to AI developments. These data-intensive devices and associated cloud services will require 5G networks.
The 5G network is widely seen as the industry’s next major step forward in mobile broadband. Average users of 5G networks can expect top download speeds of up to 20 gigabits per second, allowing them to download an entire movie in a flash.
It’ll also enable specialised tasks and functions in different sectors, like technology and finance, medicine, and gaming. With its increased speed and bandwidth, 5G has the potential to revolutionise technologies like 3D holograms, VR, and AR, allowing connections between people that are currently impossible with 4G cellular networks.
Biotechnology and longevity
Biotechnology is a cutting-edge scientific field that has made tremendous strides in recent years. Scientists in this field use organisms or biological processes to create innovative tools that could improve our quality of life and the environment. The medical, agricultural, energy, manufacturing, and food industries are just several benefits from the new tools and products that biotechnologists develop.
Gene editing is one of the emerging fields of biotechnology that shows much promise. This uses tools like CRISPR-Cas9 and base editors to make targeted DNA changes to treat and prevent diseases, including hereditary illnesses. Another is synthetic biology, where biological chemicals are manipulated and incorporated into carefully selected systems to enhance cellular function or produce new methods.
Tissue engineering, microfluidics, bioprinting, biomanufacturing, and precision medicine are other fields in biotechnology that are rapidly expanding. A significant breakthrough in these sectors will improve quality of life, thereby increasing longevity.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Statista reports that by 2026, the global market for extended reality, including augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality, will have grown from its 2022 value of $29.26 billion to over $100 billion. This proves that AR and VR are at the centre of digital transformation.
This technology is used in different industries, especially entertainment and video gaming. A good example is Meta’s Oculus virtual reality products, which let you enjoy VR applications in games and entertainment. Meta aims to release AR glasses in the future that will blend the real world with a digital environment.
The perfect virtual environment seems too far from what we currently have, so VR has a lot of things to do before it can significantly impact the world. However, augmented reality, which has wider applications, is thriving and promising to be the next best thing in a few years. If augmented reality is perfected to a certain extent, it could serve as a stepping stone for VR.
Renewable Energy
Since the Industrial Revolution, human activity has caused the earth to warm by 1.5 degrees. Activities such as burning fossil fuels, widespread tree cutting, excessive fishing, and acidification of the oceans have all contributed to the onset of global warming. Faced with climate change and other environmental hazards, utilising renewable energy sources like wind and solar power is the best way forward.
In fact, renewable energy is the building block of every other technology we’ve covered. That’s because the development of new technologies could lead to more pollution, and if there’s no change in energy sources, they’ll cause further damage to the earth.
Renewable energy eliminates the need to burn fossil fuels to generate power, lowering emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. By 2050, this technology could decarbonise 90% of the power industry, significantly reducing carbon emissions and aiding climate change mitigation efforts. It also allows us to diversify our energy supply and lessen our reliance on imported fuels.
