1. 3-D PrintingAlso known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing is an upcoming technology that is rapidly gaining momentum – it is the processof making solid objects of three dimensional nature from digital files. Designers begin by building virtual models of the desired objectsin Computer Aided Design (CAD) files with the help of a 3D scanner – to copy an existing item OR a 3D modelling program object – and to create a 1:1 or a scaled up/down model of that object.The idea of 3D printing has existed for decades but not until recently have renownedcompanies like Google and Microsoft made a step into the space. 3D scanning has particularly taken centre stage, and a good example of hardware that can perform 3D scanning isMicrosoft Kinect Fusion., as wellasScanify by Fuel 3d.A lot more PC hardware brands have followed suit, and signs are that high-end mobile devices will soon have built-in 3D scanners. Currently, there are a variety of 3D scanners ranging from expensive large scale industrial machines to $30 DIY devices that can be used by anyone at home.
2.Upcoming Technology – Virtual Reality
Since modern virtual reality hit the market some time back in 2014, 2D video officially became a thing of the past with many gamers craving towards the real 3d experience. With this upcoming technology, users are provided with a 360-degree video environment and are able to view video and gaming content like they were a “part of it”.For this to happen, a VR headset is mounted on to a digital device such as a smartphone, and then strapped around the head to cover the eyes. Some of the few market successfulvirtual reality headsets so far includeSamsung’s Gear VR, the pocket friendlyGoogle Cardboardand of course the highly anticipated Oculus Rift that isavailable for pre-order nowand will ship starting March 28th.VR technology has not yet found its peak in mass market appeal mainly due to little awareness and its dispensable utility, but if the popularity growth in the last quarter of 2015 extends to 2016, the upcoming technology could go mainstream with a tremendous potential to be THE technology of the future.
3. Augmented Reality
Often muddled up with virtual reality, augmented reality (AR) is pretty much different and oftentimes more practical upcoming technology when compared to VR.AR enhances what the user sees via 3D smartglasses (likeMicrosoft’s Hololens) by embedding digital information into real worldcontexts while virtual reality creates immersive digital worlds in front of our eyes that behave in ways that mimic real world analogues.2015 looked like the breakthrough year for AR but there were no serious signs that the technology would make it to the mainstream.Not until the last quarter of the year, at least, when many IT companies announced their involvement in this upcoming technology field. Apple Inc. in particular made their intentof venturing into the AR market when they came up with anAR projector prototype backin Septemberfor which they were granted patent. They have since not developed a finalconsumer product but the sheer move to file for patent should be enough a signal that augmented reality is going to be real very soon.
4. Wearable Technology of the Future
If 2015 was good for wearable tech enthusiasts, 2016 will be better. It all started back in 2014 withwristbandsmounted with multiple sensors for measuring and recording body temperatures, heart rate, speed, distance covered etc.Then came a more advanced generation of devices designed to be worn around the wrist, the neck, the waist, the ears and other parts of the body equipped withadditional sensorsand functionalities such asGPS connectionand some smartwatch capabilities.2015 provided the platform for all these developments phases and thanks to market demand upsurge, more reliable major IT companies such as Apple, Google and Microsoft have entered the market, only to increase its already overwhelming popularity.Currently theApple Watch– a smartwatch-cum-fitness tracker,Fitbit fitness tracker, Jawbone,Microsoft Bandand theMisfit Shineare reigning supreme on the fitness tracker market.According to experts, another generation of fitness trackers that canrecord bodily phenomena from under the skinmight hit themarket in 2016.
5. Upcoming Technology – Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), also called “smart matter” is a technology that connects small mechanical devices such as mirrors, gears, valves, actuators and sensors embedded in semiconductor chips to computers to perform different mechanical functions.Currently, MEMS are being used in automobile airbags as accelerometers wherethey’ve replaced less reliable yet expensive devices. An airbag that utilises MEMS can inflate on the basis of detected deceleration as well as the physical size of the person being protected.MEMS devices feature micro-circuitries contained in small silicon chips into which mechanical devices such as a sensor or a mirror have been manufactured. Such chips are typically manufactured in large quantitiesat relatively low cost, making them a cost effective alternative for multiple purposes.Other uses of MEMS include heating and cooling in sensor-driven systems that are known to be highlyenergy efficient. They are also used in global position system sensors which are mounted on to courier parcels for tracking and sensing of parcel treatment along the way. In airplanes, MEMS are included in sensors contained in the fabric ofthe wings to facilitate detection and reaction of the plane to airflow by changing wing surface resistance, consequently creating an array of diminutive wing flaps.Lastly, smart matter is used in optical switching devices to enable switching of lightsignals through different paths at a 20 nanosecond switching speed.
6. Smart Drones
Although the use of drones for commercial purposes is yet to be legalised in many countries across the world, the number of drone vendors and the general use of these kits has been seeing an accelerating upsurgeover the past few years.According to a report, drones will have little under 30 exhibitors at CES 2016, more than four times the 2015 number of vendors. Specifically what 2016 has in store for us as far as drones are concerned, are kits more like cameras than planes, as the upcoming technology evolves to make up for foolhardy fliers and novice mistakes.Lily, for example, are planning to release awaterproof dronethat launches when tossedinto the air and follows the user around as they ski, skate or even kayak. GoPro, anhelmet camera manufacturing giant, is set to deliver a model called Karmat that support functionality.
7. Wireless Charging Technology
Wireless electricity has been the world’s longterm dream; often discussed but never quite delivered.In 2016 though, the use of wall sockets to juice up smartphone and smartwatch batteries may be run down and replaced withwireless charging docks that use magnetism to transmit electricity. Wireless chargers, also known as inductive chargers, use a transmitter coil to produce an alternating current, which in turn generates a voltage in the device at the receiver coil.Wireless charging padsfor example, can be used to charge smartphones, Bluetooth headsets, tablets, portable power banks and cameras.Some high end devices such as the SamsungGalaxy series, Apple iPhones and some smartwatches are already supporting this upcoming technology. More and more companies are designing their devices in favour of this trend, which facilitates efficiency, portability and faster charging, and soon corded chargers could be rendered useless.
8. Terahertz Imaging
Terahertz imaging is a new nondestructive evaluation (NDE) method of dielectric material analysis and quality control used in a number of applications ranging from security, pharmaceutical, biomedical, aerospace and material characterisation industries.Not so much a technology of the future as it is already being used at various airport security checkpoints around the world mainly for explosive detection. Cars that feature automatic collision sensing and avoidance capabilities also use Terahertz imaging.Like sonar or radar, terahertz imaging relays images by comparing measurements across a number of sensors. The arrays have to be of high density as the distance between the different sensors is directly proportional to wavelength.In a camera, the lens directs the incoming light in such a way that what is reflected by a portion of the visual scene brings about an equal patch of the sensor display. In imagingsystems with relatively low frequencies, an incoming beam, whether acoustic or electromagnetic, strikes each and every sensor in the array.The distance between different sensors, as stated earlier, should not be more than half the incoming wave’s wavelength, and as longas this is kept to, the calculation is simple and straightforward as it only requires inversion of the sensors’ readings. Two or more possible solutions will be yielded if the sensors are located more than half a wavelength away from each other.
9. 5G Network
If 4G was fast, 5G will be faster, and that’s one more reason to relish 2016 as it unfolds.According to researches, the new 5G network, which is already being tested by Ericsson, Huawei and other renowned IT companies, will bemore than 100 times faster than the current 3G and 4G networks.Verizon is among the few companies who have confirmed they will avail the new network later in 2017, but smaller mobile service providers are expected to capitalise on the opportunity and bring the service to their customers as early as Q2 this year.
10 Bitcoin Technology
History may highlight the instability and unreliability ofBitcoin, but a future takeover of the digital cryptocurrency can never be ruled out. Sure, Bitcoin has been in the middle of some serious controversies such as the Silk Road saga, for instance, and legalising it has been met with a lot of dilemma and opposition, but big financial institutions all across the world seem to be in support of thisBlockchain technologythanks to its transparent and instant nature as a medium of international money transfer.
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