Our Perspective on the Future of Technology

Today’s technology events are filled with various types of wearables that are meant to revolutionize, not only the way consumers maintain and track their health, but also in changing the way many businesses operate. Although these gadgets appear to be mere accessories to the smartphone, there will come a time when these technologies will inevitably replace today’s smart handsets. “While sports, fitness and wellness monitoring are easily identified uses for wearables, other applications that can be enhanced by connectivity will emerge over the next five years to make the devices not only necessary, but almost invisible,” Andy Marken previously wrote.

However, wearables will also find its ceiling, which raises another question with many consumers – what’s next after wearables? What other innovative technologies should we expect to see on the market? In this article, we’ll show you our thoughts on the future of tech.

Cyborgs

It may not be as extensive as Robocop’s design appears, but cyborgs will appear to be more apparent in the future as scientist and health professionals are now looking at the possibility of applying biomechatronic parts (integration of mechanical and electronic into biological organisms) into our bodies. The world’s first recorded cyborg was Kevin Warwich, who underwent surgery on his arm in 1990s, when electrodes were inserted into his nerve fibers. There are other real-life cyborgs today, as listed by MNN, allowing us to have a look at the future of technology and humanity.

The only concern raised by Ray Kurzweil, Google’s director of engineering, is the possibility of artificial intelligence overpowering human intelligence at around 2045. He said in an interview as featured by The Telegraph that the only way to beat them is to join them. Although 2045 is still a long way off, the concern raised by Warwick is not inconceivable as cyborgs will no doubt find their place in the future.

Driverless Cars

Last year, we witnessed some of the most high-tech automobiles from the top car manufacturers. One of which was the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S550, which CNET claims to be the “closest thing to a self-driving car.” The vehicle features a revolutionary steering assistant, which makes driving in heavy traffic easy. It is also equipped with two wide-screen LCD panels on its dashboard where the speedometer, tachometer, and fuel indicator are all rendered virtually.

However, we should expect better and more revolutionary cars in the future, which offer “real driverless” experiences. In the United Kingdom, the government chose to support the GATEway project (Greenwich Automated Transport Environment) to view the reaction of consumers on driverless vehicles. According to the report by O2, the developers are planning to add more to the automobile, such as “safety through connectivity” that will assist users with navigation information, application, control information, and connected sensors. “This project will put the UK at the forefront of developing this type of transport technology and we are proud to be a part of it,” Dr. Mike Short wrote on O2.

‘Embeddable technology’

Apart from robotic parts attached to our body, embeddable technology will also be on the rise. Industry experts predict, “humans will upgrade their own bodies using microscopic computers.” Others call this process ‘biohacking,’ wherein magnetic implants or microchips are inserted into the body. Similar to the power of wearables, this process will not require any other device in order to process mobile requests. David Evans of Cisco said that this is not impossible from happening since “in about two and half decades the power of smartphone will fit into something the size of a red blood cell.” He added, “it completely changes the game if humans can have red blood cell-size computing.”

Technology is showing no signs of slowing down and we should expect more innovative solutions to uplift and assist our fast paced, modern way of living. How do you view the future of technology?

[box type=”note”]Editor’s Note: This post is from a potential new contributor, Jennifer Birch (@WrittenByJenni). If you like her content, please leave a note in the comments.[/box]