Future Technology Roundup
A lot of the technologies that are being talked about today, are not really new. In fact, many technologies have been around for decades. There are multiple reasons why they have become mainstream today and are being used in business and many aspects of our lives.
The first is maturity. Technology is born in research labs and initially needs a high level of expertise and is therefore only usable by a few developers and for a few applications. It takes a while to stabilise and be ready for use in generalised applications and to enter the mainstream developer community.
The second is cost. Clearly, for technology to be adopted in regular use, it has to be inexpensive enough. As long it is expensive to create or maintain, it will remain for use in highly specialised applications where the need justifies the expense.
The third is computing power. Computing power in smartphones is today far higher than what it was in mainframe computers a few decades ago. There is even significant computing power in some consumer devices and appliances such as cars. This high availability of computing power, and at a low cost, has made it possible for complex technology that needs processing power to be used in consumer applications.
The fourth is simplification. Several technology leaders have taken it upon themselves to simplify complex technology so that it can be used by a wider audience. Whether it is cloud computing that has been simplified by Amazon to the extent that you don’t need to be a technologist to use it, or artificial intelligence, which needed an advance understanding of computer science, but has now been simplified with intuitive tools such that even business users can define rules and create models for machine learning.
The fifth is pervasiveness. Technology has now invaded every aspect of our work and lives. Whether it is entertainment, education, shopping, commuting, eating or exercising, technology is being used in some form or manner to improve both business efficiency and customer experience.
It is neither possible nor required to understand the whole gamut of old, new, upgraded and emerging technologies. You could have a passing knowledge of many and then do a deep dive into the ones that of interest or relevance to you.
See the infographic below for a roundup of the most promising technologies of the future and how they interoperate with each other.
There are technologies such as robotics and cellular communication which have been around for many years but will now be enhanced and also add more value working in tandem with emerging technology. And there are technologies, that have great potential but are still in the lab, such as quantum computing.
No one technology is a solution unto itself. They all work together in many different ways to create a solution. And, while technology is evolving, what use would that evolution be if there were no applications of it? To keep technology relevant, there must also be creative thinking on how these technologies can be stitched together to create meaningful solutions that add value to the human race and improve their productivity, safety, health, wellness, comfort, convenience and general well-being both in their personal and work life.
Therefore, it stands to reason that the divide between technologists and others must grow smaller. Technologists will have more depth than breadth, becoming experts in designing and implementing solutions in a few technologies while others will have more breadth than depth, which along with their domain knowledge will help them visualise creative applications of technology for their industry.
