There could be much more ahead

BY Rehan Fernando

Following on from my column of some months ago, here’s an overview of more disrupters that are poised to reshape the world we live in.

HYPERLOOPS This involves a capsule with passengers or goods travelling through a partial vacuum tube at high speed between a source and destination.

It’s envisaged that hyperloops will provide fast, efficient and driverless transportation. If successfully deployed, these could emerge as a widely used mode of ground transport, reducing travel time and revolutionising the entire transportation industry.

COMPUTERS Quantum computing uses a different method to traditional binary computing, and makes it possible to achieve far greater processing power and speed.

This powerful computation is able to support a range of sophisticated operations such as city traffic control that need to consider scenarios with millions of data inputs, and respond in real time to a large user base while ensuring high accuracy and precision.

APPLICATIONS Intelligent mobile applications use real-time and historical data about user interactions together with AI to adjust the behaviour of an app.

The result is a customised experience to suit each user. Intelligent apps, which are being developed for use across a broad range of industries and functional purposes, are also able to adapt and evolve the user experience over time.

BIOMETRICS This refers to electronically monitored body measurements and calculations relating to human characteristics. They’re used to uniquely identify an individual and differentiate him or her from others. Biometric technologies are applied widely in access control and surveillance.

The future will likely see biometrics become more comprehensive, faster, more secure and easier to implement. Therefore, it’s likely that broader surveillance will be achieved with less hassle to the public.

CLEAN TECH Clean technology comprises various technologies that help preserve the environment by reducing harmful emissions, for example. These also include technologies that aid natural resource conservation and purification.

The use of technology could enable more comprehensive and real-time environmental protection, as well as realising greater outcomes from solar, wind power and other alternative energy sources.

MEDICINE Precision medicine is a customised or tailored medical application based on an analysis of the genetic profile of an individual.

The targeted approach is likely to improve the overall effectiveness of medications that are administered to the patient and reduce side effects. Nanomedicine refers to the medical use of nanotechnology. Tiny nanoparticles and nanorobots are used to help in diagnosis, and delivering required therapy.

PERSONALISATION The varied uses of personalisation include autonomous vehicles that change the ambience and driving profile based on the individual who sits in the vehicle, as well as smart homes, which adjust the domestic environment including lighting, music and temperature to suit the family member who enters a specific room.

By combining personalisation with AI, these systems will soon be able to learn about user preferences and respond accordingly.

LANGUAGE Natural language processing, which means talking to various devices and having them respond accordingly, is an evolving advancement.

Voice recognition has become more advanced and will be able to distinguish between the voices of different people, filter disturbance and process natural speech rather than specific dictated commands. These systems will also respond in a more realistic and natural tone of voice than was previously possible.

TECHNOLOGY Advancements in screen panels over the recent years have been phenomenal. Some panels are ultra slim without cables or rims while others are transparent.

Moving away from the traditional function of a television, displays are now tending towards ambience with large displays forming parts of walls in homes and offices. Scalable displays with panels that could be easily added enable much larger screen areas with impressive quality.

SPACE TRAVEL Recent advancements made by a number of space exploration companies show that commercial space travel could be available in the near future.

Moving beyond the boundaries of the Earth will be a major advancement, paving the way for further disrupters – some of which could be of a magnitude that’s currently unimaginable.

Many of these advancements are likely to have an impact on businesses and individuals alike. The environment in the next decade could shape up to be very different to what it is today.

It would be useful for business leaders to ponder these factors when charting the future direction of their organisations.