With the power of innovation growing day by day, we can only expect the field of future technology to grow as well. But what does the future hold? What kind of crazy tech will we be using a decade from now? It’s hard to say for sure, but here are 5 ideas about what we’ll see in the next few years as innovation pushes forward…
Brain implants will become mainstream
If a new company in Sweden is successful, you may soon find yourself using your brain to control a device, rather than hand gestures or voice commands. The company has made a chip that sits in your brain and can be used to control external devices with thought. It sounds like science fiction, but many experts believe it could become reality within just a few years. This kind of technology could have many applications including helping those with disabilities perform everyday tasks by operating computers or even vehicles.
Driverless cars will rule the roads
While self-driving cars are still a little while away, it’s possible that they’ll eventually rule our roads. Driverless vehicles could work together to become platoons (in which vehicles drive close together to increase aerodynamics and save fuel) or road trains (in which human drivers take turns driving in convoy fashion). This isn’t sci-fi: Australia has already given cars permission to drive as fast as 120 kilometers per hour—that’s faster than many car commuters travel—on a busy highway. In fact, one of Google’s driverless cars was ticketed for speeding on California highways. The ticket is perhaps less surprising when you consider that driverless cars have racked up hundreds of thousands of miles on U.S.
Virtual reality will be everywhere
If you’ve been following any of my writing at Entrepreneur, you might have noticed that I’m a big fan of virtual reality. VR is new and only growing in popularity. A recent Goldman Sachs report predicts that spending on VR/AR will go from nearly nothing today to $80 billion by 2025. What’s more, they say consumer adoption should increase at an even faster rate than that because user-generated content (like videos) will help bring VR to the masses. Even if Goldman Sachs is right and we spend just $10 per month on average on VR/AR, that’s still $120 billion a year—and it’s growing.
Internet of Things (IoT) will make our lives easier
From smart homes to self-piloting drones, our future holds a slew of helpful technologies. One such futuristic device will be IoT (Internet of Things), which refers to a world full of interconnectivity, where everyday items and devices can talk to each other and send information back and forth seamlessly. Before long, consumers will be able to purchase smart appliances, cameras that track our health or energy usage, or even light bulbs that turn on at sunset. In addition to making life more convenient for us all, IoT is predicted to save businesses nearly $6 trillion by 2025.
Augmented Reality (AR) will be the new social media
AR is changing how we interact with our world and making communication more convenient. For example, most of us think nothing of taking a picture and posting it to Instagram or Facebook. However, in 5 years, you’ll look at that same action as outdated because AR will be seamlessly integrated into your phone’s system and camera. In turn, you’ll spend less time on social media sites (due to a higher level of convenience) but still connect with friends just as often – if not more! Don’t worry; there will still be fun filters available when you want them! Think about all that extra time saved. Instead of spending hours updating your social media accounts (in your pajamas), what will you do?
