Four Techs Changing Lives in 2021
If you feel like you may be living in a sci-fi movie you’re not alone. While people are still waiting for their flying cars, there are so many jumps in current technology that it is almost impossible to guess what the technology landscape will look like in as little as five years. Read on for a list of four of the most amazing technology trends that will be changing your life in big ways.
Solar Batteries
New advances in solar batteries mean that your solar power system can become portable or free you from the grid entirely. Up to now the only big use for solar was during sunny days, with customers relying on traditional utility providers to get electricity at night or on cloudy days. Having solar panels on vacation options like boats or RVs wasn’t realistic, providing maybe a little power to a single appliance during the day. Now solar users are actually able to store the energy they create, a situation that means true independence from traditional electricity sources. While these batteries are still expensive, especially compared to solar panels, the boom in this technology means they will become stronger, more reliable and less expensive each year.
Augmented Reality Glasses
Augmented reality glasses aren’t the big clunky virtual reality headsets used for gaming but instead act as a type of miniature heads-up display, projecting information into your field of view on the inside of the lens. The glasses interface with users’ technology from smartphones to laptops. Consider the value of having driving directions appear directly before you so you don’t have to look down or mess with a phone or GPS system while driving. The glasses can also include projections of 3D holograms, so if you want to live the dream of playing Dejarik, the holographic board game from Star Wars, all you need is a Wookie. While this technology is in its infancy, companies like Oculus, Toshiba, Google and Microsoft already have smart glasses on the market. Like solar batteries, as the technology develops look for sleeker, faster and expanded functions in this market.
SUV Electric Vehicles
No one is mistaking a Tesla for a 1960s V8 muscle car, but electric car technology is approaching a point where the range is expanding and so is the power. GMC is bringing back its Hummer line with an electric version of the classic SUV and also a pickup truck that they claim will do zero to 60 in three seconds. Everyone is jumping on the bigger vehicle train, with companies from Tesla to Ford developing electric trucks that will have ranges over 300 miles. Ford even showed a prototype of its newest F150, an electric model, towing a million pounds. For Americans, who have been steadily moving to SUVs, larger electric vehicles may be the technology that gets them off of fossil fuels.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has actually been around longer than most people think. When Netflix recommends movies you might like based on your viewing history, there isn’t actually a team of people reviewing what you like, it’s artificial intelligence. Its uses are growing exponentially from there. From speaker assistants that can recognize natural speech to the chatbox helping you with your customer service question that’s actually an AI chatbot, artificial intelligence is already integrated into most people’s everyday lives. Homes have become more integrated with the Internet of things, with smart security systems that start with video recordings in doorbells and lights that come on with a word. With smart homes that can learn voices, patterns and expectations, AI will become more important every year in making lives easier and safer.
If you’re a fan of sci-fi you’ll know that Blade Runner was set in a future that is already past. While the world certainly doesn’t look like the film, there are definitely technologies that the characters would recognize and others even they could never have imagined.
