Of space drones, self-driving cars and fake meat
The year 2020 is gearing up to be a momentous one. It has only been a few days since the new year dawned on us and America and Iran are already heading towards a possible major conflict, the Australian bushfires are getting from bad to worse and Maszlee Malik has resigned as our education minister, sparking debate.
So, where then are we to get some good news? Is there anything happening in the world of science and technology that’s likely to raise our spirit? You bet!
e-Wallet renaissance
The e-Wallet market really started to take off in Malaysia last year. Expect that trend to continue and accelerate.
The top contenders — GrabPay, TouchnGo and Boost — are off to the races, spending ungodly amounts of money to speed up its adoption. The government, intending to create a cashless society, is spurring them on.
In Budget 2020, the government unveiled the e-Tunai Rakyat programme which will offer a one-time RM30 credit to those who set up any of the three eWallets mentioned above. This is certainly a good initiative.
Given Malaysia’s tech-savvy populace (88% mobile penetration), it’s quite a shame that our rate of e-Wallet adoption is at a pathetic 8%.
I expect this to more than triple by the end of the year. e-Wallets are the future and the sooner we adopt this technology, the better it would be for all of us.
China is worth emulating in this regard. In 2018, a whopping 83% of all payments in China were mobile payments.
If a country with 1.4 billion people and growing can adopt e-Wallets at such a blistering pace, we sure can.
5G, the great tease
Most of us are aware of 5G: the new wondrous network that promises to somehow magically transform our lives. Unfortunately, it’s mired in geopolitical issues and always seems just a year or two away.
Expect the same this year. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been running 5G demonstration projects from Oct 1 of last year. It is expected to last till this March 31.
The government is nudging them on by providing a RM50 million 5G ecosystem development grant. These demonstrations will lay the groundwork for a national policy on 5G which is expected to be announced in the middle of the year.
As good as that sounds, it takes two hands to clap. In addition to having the infrastructure for 5G, we need phones that are 5G compatible.
Major phone companies such as Samsung and Huawei only started unveiling 5G phones at the tail end of 2019. Apple still doesn’t have one but is expected to have the functionality in its next iteration.
And even among phones, 5G functionality is most prevalent in flagship devices which most people would have to sell a kidney to purchase.
Just as 4G enabled killer apps such as Instagram and TikTok to really take off, expect 5G, which will offer speeds of up to 10–100 times faster, to open up entirely new arenas.
Industries that require superfast response times will be the first to adopt and cheer it on.
Think self-driving cars, surgical robots and Virtual Reality (VR). Internet of Things applications will also see this as a boon.
Faster response times plus smaller microprocessors will see technology take over entrenched, conservative industries.
Space, the final frontier
Lots of exciting things are set to happen in the space industry this year. For the first time in almost a decade, astronauts will be able to blast off into space from America.
After the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, America lost its space launch capability and had to rely on the Russians to take their astronauts to space, which was a cause of much chagrin for the Americans. That won’t be the case anymore if things go according to plan (though they rarely do in the space industry).
Both SpaceX and Boeing are set to launch a manned mission to space on board their spanking new rockets.
In addition to manned spaceflight, there are going to be an impressive four missions to Mars this year. The most exciting of the lot, Nasa’s Mars 2020 Rover, is even equipped with a helicopter drone which it will release once it lands. This will make it the first time a drone is flown outside of the earth’s atmosphere.
Not to be bested, China, Europe and Russia (in collaboration) and the United Arab Emirates each have a Mars mission, with varying degrees of audacity.
Self-driving cars
Elon Musk famously said last year: “From our standpoint, if you fast forward a year, maybe a year and three months, but next year for sure, we’ll have over a million Robo-taxis on the road.”
This sounds more like a pipe dream than anything. Sure, self-driving technology will be further perfected but having a million of them on the road this year is entirely unrealistic.
What I expect will happen this year is that partial self-driving technology, which is already the standard fare in tech-forward cars like Teslas, will become more common in other cars.
Expect to see Level 2 Automation in a lot more cars this year, where the vehicle can control both steering and accelerating/decelerating, but will fall just short of full autonomy. A human driver will be present at all times and will be able to take control as and when necessary.
Plant-based meat storm
Beyond Meat, a maker of plant-based meat had one of the most successful IPOs of 2019, silencing their many critics and naysayers. Following that, they partnered with KFC, Dunkin’ and Del Taco to supply them with plant-based meat, greatly increasing their reach.
They’re not alone. Hot on their heels is Impossible Foods, a competitor which makes similar plant-based meat products. They have partnered with Burger King and now supply them with their patties.
Its allure is clear. Meat production is incredibly harmful to the environment, rivalling the pollution caused by transportation and industry.
Cows, chickens and pigs are often kept in inhumane conditions and suffer terribly before they are eventually slaughtered. These animals are also often injected with antibiotics and other drugs in addition to being fed a non-natural diet to fatten them up for slaughter.
This has detrimental health effects on you and me, the unsuspecting, average consumer who goes to fast food outlets to feast on them.
Many are realising the follies of such a broken food system, including those in Malaysia. Homegrown Phuture Foods develops plant-based, halal minced pork and is targeting the burgeoning Asian market. I expect them to really kick into high gear this year.
One thing’s for sure — they won’t be alone. I wouldn’t be surprised if even more environmentally-conscious entrepreneurs throw their hats into this nascent market.
To them, I say kudos, and all the very best. The world needs you!
