We have seen some huge technological innovations over the last few decades. In the last couple of years, it seems like someone hit the fast-forward button and greatly expanded the capabilities of these programmes. It’s an exciting time to be alive as far as the tech space is concerned, and if the following technologies continue on their current course, we could see even brighter times ahead.
AI has been around for a long time. We’ve all had direct experiences with it for years, whether it’s the procedurally generated maps and smart enemies in video games or the intuitive responses delivered by chatbots. But it has taken on a new meaning in the last couple of years thanks to deep language models and their resulting uses and controversies. Despite some controversies, AI is just as widespread and useful as it has always been, and it is leaving a mark on many industries, including:
How do self-driving cars know where to go and how to avoid obstacles? How do we know what the ocean floor looks like? It all comes down to a technology known as LiDAR, which is literally mapping the ground beneath our feet. The technology has been around for a long time, but it has been adapted and improved over the last few decades and can create more detailed and accurate maps than ever before. In simple terms, LiDAR works by firing a laser at a point in the distance, measuring how long it takes to get there, and then calculating the distance based on these measurements. Not only can it determine how big and deep certain areas are, but it can also create a detailed 3D map of environments that would otherwise be hard to pin down. LiDAR sensor manufacturers do business across a number of industries for a range of purposes, including:
The robotics industry has evolved significantly in recent years. We still don’t have the robot butlers promised to us by sci-fi writers in the middle of the 20th century, but we’re getting there. The main industries for robotics include manufacturing, construction, and logistics. They partially or wholly build the products that you use every day, performing menial tasks with a higher degree of precision than humans and requiring very little downtime. They are the perfect employees, which is why robotics is a multi-billion-dollar industry.
Quantum computing is an area of computing that uses quantum theory. It deals with incredibly complex problems at a much finer and more precise level than traditional computers. This field is already changing the security sector and is also being used in combination with big data and AI to assist with aerospace design, improve manufacturing processes, and help with military affairs.
Biotechnology refers to technology that’s used on a biological level. It’s about manipulating genetic markers and tweaking chemical compositions, ultimately helping to increase crop production, create vaccines and medications, and fix some of the environmental issues currently facing humanity, such as the development of sustainable biofuels.
There are many exciting, state-of-the-art technologies supporting this high-tech world that we live in, and as we continue to innovate, improve, and advance, those innovations will just keep coming.
