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Reflections on Emerging Technologies

by Corielle Riddell

New technologies are important to every person in the technical field, no matter what you’re doing. As those technologies change and expand, we have to adapt to them and what they offer us. We may even find ourselves on the end of creating a completely new piece of technology or applying it differently to current standards.

In my Emerging Technologies course, I assumed we would be talking more about new devices, but the class proved to be much more. While we did talk about hardware, the course focused in on the technology accessible via those pieces of hardware. Through our discussions, research, and creative projects, I have found myself more curious about the possibility of what the future of technology holds for us all.

I am excited by the idea of augmented reality (AR) being used more throughout our daily lives. It can add a new dimension to ordinary tasks and can help us immensely in many fields, such as health and education. While researching this topic, I saw the many ways it can be a valuable tool. By assisting doctors, AR can help them to understand the human body, giving them a clearer picture as to what might be happening with their patients. It can also help children and students grasp visual concepts better, seeing how things work.

There are also more fun aspects to augmented reality, such as gaming or getting a guided tour via your phone. The game application Pokemon Go was a giant success last year, and the trend continues. It utilizes the GPS in your phone and AR to give you location-specific encounters with creatures that you can “catch” with a virtual ball. Given its popularity, I can see more games like this being developed in the near-future.

At the conclusion of my course, I am leaving with a knowledge of some amazing new things to come in the technical world and what to watch out for. This will be useful in my career shift into web development, learning and adapting my work to explore some of the next trends in technology. I am intrigued by the visual world and how it is perceived, so creating some of the elements in augmented and virtual reality sound very exciting.

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The Future of Display Technologies

Display Technologies

The earliest display screens were commercialized in 1922, primarily used in black and white televisions. Within the past 20 years, display technologies have evolved outside the realm of the television.

Trend to Come

Today, we view content on our computers, phones, and on electronic billboards. With advances in how we view things, sensory experience displays, such as virtual and augmented reality, and holographic images, are emerging.

My Thoughts on the Technology

The advancement of display technology will be important to my own career as I begin to build websites. I will have to design and develop based on the specifications of the display.

Resources:

History of display technology

9 fantastical future display technologies

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Fad or Trend

In the emerging technology field, knowing when to recognize when you have a fad or a trend can make or break your new idea. When we take a look at the end need of a specific idea, we have to ask some questions: Does the technology solve a specific problem? Is it easy to use, faster, or more efficient? After answering those, we need to decide if the idea has an identifiable benefit over previous methods or approaches.

A trend will provide a solution to a problem that is better or more innovative than its predecessor, solving a bigger need than what was originally anticipated. A fad is the opposite, finding a need for the type of technology and applying a solution to that need, often providing brief, lack-luster results. Trends grow slowly over time while fads peak and fade away quickly.

Fad: Google Glass

Google Glass is an eyeglass technology developed and conceptualized to make things like taking photos and video, giving you directions, and talking on the phone easier than your hand-held smartphone. Developers had hoped that it would have some amazing applications, but its early beta product proved to lack good functionality. After using them, consumers couldn’t understand why you would want to place an obtrusive and distracting piece of technology on your face. A successful product would have taken this into consideration and created a more organic, discreet design that offered more application functionality.

Trend: Nanosensors and the Internet of Nanothings

Nanosensors are connecting us to data produced by everyday objects, including our own liver. This type of technology pairs microsensors and a tiny power supply with the internet so that we can watch and connect with things and processes that hold importance in our lives. For example, a house can unlock its door when it senses that its owner is home, or a heart monitor can call the doctor when it shows signs of change or heart failure. Being able to gather many different kinds of data will allow us to recognize the object’s deficiencies and add a new level of interaction and efficiency. This will be very valuable in the health fields, solving the problem of knowing exactly when things change in our bodies and allowing doctors to take more decisive action. 

References:

Distinguishing Fad from Trend

Google Glass Is Dead; Long Live Smart Glasses

Here's what will happen when 30 billion devices are connected to the internet

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Resources for Keeping Current on Emerging Technology

Changes and advances in technology are inevitable. We are constantly growing and learning new ways to streamline our lives so that we meet our goals and needs faster. It is hard to keep up with all of the advances when we’re so busy with everything else. Which is why I have created a list of websites that allow you to keep current with all of the emerging technologies.

1. Computer World

A web publication and digital magazine for information and business technology professionals. It hosts a wide range of topics that include IT, emerging technologies, and career information. 

❤ Adding data to toothbrushes, MRI machines

Phillips is placing wireless sensors into devices, from toothbrushes to MRI machines, that will provide the consumer with feedback from their data analysis.

2. SlashGear

Highlights the latest and greatest in cutting-edge tech gear and digital lifestyle trends, offering device information and reviews. Topics include Cars, Photography, and Wearable technologies.

❤ 2016 BMW 330e Review: The secret plug-in hybrid

A review on the energy-saving vehicle, its functionality, technology, pros, and cons.

3. Popular Science

A magazine consisting of articles on a large range of today’s science and technology topics, including Aviation, Energy, and Space.

❤ This cheap and easy lab-on-a-chip could save lives

The lab-on-a-chip is an early diagnosis tool used in developing countries that integrates multiple laboratory functions onto a single microchip, assessing and analyzing bodily fluids cheaply and quickly.

4. Mashable

A multi-platform media company that is a go-to for tech, digital culture, and entertainment content. Their Tech section includes information on Apps & Software, Dev & Design, and Gadgets.

❤ This revolutionary printer doesn't use any ink to print

This inkless printing technology uses infrared lasers to burn black carbon dots onto paper, providing an unlimited printing source without the need for an ink cartridge.

5. Tech Crunch

A technology media company where you can find profiles for startups and established businesses, reviews on new internet products, and breaking technology news.

❤ Ozobot raises $3 million for toys that teach kids coding basics off-screen

These little robots teach children how to code as they play with them. Using different colored markers on paper, each child can create a program for the robot to perform.

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Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ~Scott Adams