Approach The World of New Technologies with Confidence: It's Not That Hard to Keep Up with It

Technology is considered to be the greatest agent of change in the modern world. While never without risk, positive technological breakthroughs promise innovative solutions to the most pressing global challenges of our time, from resource scarcity to global environmental change.  

One problem facing technology is the lack of appropriate investment, outdated regulatory frameworks, and gaps in public understanding prevent many promising technologies from achieving their potential.

Another problem, and the one that hits home with the masses, is attempting to keep up with technology, and failing.

It’s true that even while some technologies fail due to what was mentioned in the first problem, in the field of communications and the Internet, this is not so. In fact, many complain that it is hard to keep up with technology because the smartphone or app they buy today may be obsolete in just 6 months. But then, when we say “keeping up,” is it keeping up just to have the latest in technology, like the latest iPhone or the latest tablet, or is it merely keeping up to improve how to do things at work or at home?

When we attempt to keep up just to stay in trend, then the true purpose of technology is lost. A new smartphone model with new features that come with it may benefit some but not all, and this applies to all technologies. Technology should be bought and used as we need them and how useful they are to us, and not merely to just “keep up.”

So instead of just keeping up, here are a few technologies that we can all face with confidence because somehow in the future, we will need them.

Brain-computer interfaces

It is already possible to type just by monitoring the electrical activity of your brain, but as the technology advances, it could be possible for people with disabilities to operate wheelchairs using only their thoughts.

Body-adapted wearable electronics

Whether worn on the body, embedded in clothes or even under the skin, these devices can track information, such as heart rate and stress levels, giving people real-time feedback about their health.

Screenless display

A 3D image projected into space, or simply a screenless display, can convey information that a 2D image presented on a screen cannot, and is close to becoming a practical reality. One of the more frustrating aspects of modern communications technology is that, as devices have miniaturized, they have become more difficult to interact with; for example, no one types out a novel on a smartphone. The lack of space on screen-based displays provides a clear opportunity for screenless displays to fill the gap. Full-sized keyboards can already be projected onto a surface for users to interact with, without concern over whether it will fit into their pocket. Perhaps evoking memories of the early Star Wars films, holographic images can now be generated in three dimensions.

Nanowire lithium-ion batteries

New batteries based on silicon and using tiny silicon nanowires can have a longer life, charge more quickly, and hold up to three times the power of existing batteries.