2022 Technology Predictions
by Laasya Aki
This year is another year for great tech innovations. Many new technology ideas and trends have been around for a long time, but they take time to mature and become available in the market. Here, we will discuss a few tech ideas that might become finalized by the end of this year.
A Metaverse
The metaverse is a shared cyberspace where people can exist in a virtual reality. This concept, coined by Neal Stephenson, has been illustrated in novels like “Ready Player One” and “Snow Crash”. We have seen different aspects of the metaverse, like virtual reality. However, this year will be the year where tech companies each try to tackle the concept of the metaverse.
Smart Homes
In the last decade, many smart home products have been announced and released. Door locks that could be controlled using a smartphone, thermostats connected to the internet, and robot vacuum cleaners became affordable and worked with digital assistants. Many different tech companies have introduced their own smart home products like Google’s Assistant, Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa. But a full-blown smart home has not been an attainable goal due to the lack of compatibility with all types of devices. However, these large technology companies have agreed to set a standard for smart home technology. Matter is an open-source protocol that can be integrated into different smart home devices for ease of use and compatibility between different devices. Using Matter, anyone can build something that works with different home services, part of the Connectivity Standards Alliance. This alliance is a place for professionals in the industry to make connectivity and compatibility easier. Companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google are part of his alliance. With compatibility becoming more mainstream, we will see an increase in smart home products being manufactured and purchased.
Sustainability
With the issue of climate change, many tech companies have to be concerned with their carbon footprint. With President Joe Biden’s plan to have half of all vehicles sold to be electric by 2030, many vehicle manufacturers need to go electric. Sustainable technology like LED lighting, new chips, and use of renewable energy is on the rise and is necessary. The increase in computing in areas like cryptocurrency mining facilities and increasing energy use in areas like NFTs call for more environmentally friendly methods.
Conclusion
In conclusion, many new technologies and technological trends are to appear in 2022. With climate change rapidly speeding up, a lot of this new technology needs to be sustainable. Any new trends need to take a look at their environmental and social impact.
~ Edited by Christian Mueth
References:
- https://buildwithmatter.com/
- https://www.computer.org/publications/tech-news/trends/2022-report
This article was originally published at the Teach-Technology Organization, Inc. online technology blog. I volunteer as a tech blog writer at this organization, which is dedicated to bridging the gap between seniors and technology. You can read this article (and many more) at the Teach Technology site.
tags: TeachTech - technology