TECHNOLOGY: WHAT WE EXPECT IN 2016

Don’t be shocked about the title, it’s all in the name of technology. Instead, the fact of how technology turns our world upside down is more shocking, in my opinion. If you look back in 2015, we’ve seen some innovations for smart baby monitors, a whole world of change in financial technologies, hoverboards, and the backlash to hoverboards and other innovations. Let’s see of what 2016 can bring to us…

1. Next-generation designer body parts

One of the most important 3-D printing’s applications is medical devices, lemme give you the hints: implants and prosthetics. Dental implants and hip implants are already being done and what will we see next? It’s called the “bioprinting”. Bioprinting is layers of tissue that can be grafted to the body for a variety of purposes. Few years have gone and researchers are still working on building not only printable, but also fully customizable veins, heart valves, and even ears. The next frontier is building full organs out of printable tissue. A matter of fact, one Virginia foundation has an open call with $1 million prize for the first organization to print a fully functioning liver before 2018.

3-D Medical Printing on Grey’s Anatomy

2. Worker drones

At least in 2016, there will be more drones in the sky than manned aircraft. It doesn’t stop there, instead, it will continue. Experts predict that in 10 years the industry will surprisingly increase from $3 billion to $90 billion. Innovators have 1 purpose in mind, it is to replace dangerous jobs that are usually done by human for example, first-aid drones, firefighter drones, and temporary cell phone tower drones to replace permanent structures during disasters or combat.

3. On-demand everything becoming even more omnipresent

E-commerce is getting more booming from day to day. Not only in the US, but all over the world, let’s say China. Because I currently reside in China, I can feel its advantage in my daily life. If I go out, it’s ok now if I forget to bring my wallet, but make sure not to forget to bring my smartphone! I can pay anything using the apps in my smartphone or the virtual wallet. It’s not only to pay for foot, but also for transport, grocery shopping and other services. Now, let’s move to Amazon. It has drones it wants to deploy. Maybe later they can deliver your pizza to where you sit at that time!

4. Floating internet and cell service.

Mark Zuckerberg last time talked about bringing internet to unwired parts of the world by beaming it from balloons or satellites or drones. On the other hand, Google also invested in the idea of floating massive balloons overhead to endow a geographic area with cell or internet service. The so-called Project Loon, and one day, it can bring connectivity to the 60 percent of the world’s population that still does not have it. Drone companies, in addition, are working on helping wire the earth, from their perches in the sky.

5. Food tech, giving back.

Food Tech is taking over feeding the world’s poor. The World Food Programme has been creating a digital system that allows beneficiaries to receive regularly scheduled small cash transfers, via chip or SMS, so they can buy what they need. The purpose is to help local producers, and feed more people more efficiently, without carting massive truckloads of supplies in or out of a region. On the other hand, growing companies, such as Hampton Creek, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Modern Meadow are implementing the usage of inexpensive plant proteins to create nutrient rich meat and egg substitutes. The goal is not only health, but also to provide bigger bang for the planetary buck, in terms of land use.