People always have their eyes open for the next greatest thing in technology, and with the speed at which it changes, there always seems to be something new around the corner. The following up-and-coming tech trends are considered ones that are going to change the way we do business and the way we live our everyday lives.
The Expanding World of 3D Printing
Image via Flickr by kakissel
Experts believe that 3D printing has the capacity to change life as we know it. They feel this technology will soon give us the ability to create products without outsourcing and with little in the way of wasted materials.
While American designers have started printing 3D cars and Chinese designers are working on 3D houses, English designers have actually created a 3D printed hamburger. This could completely revolutionize the agriculture industry. Today, it takes 10,000 pounds of grain and 20,000 gallons of water to raise just one cow. This creates a huge strain on our environment and ecosystem. However, printing food could make our current food production techniques obsolete.
Having said that, experts are most excited about the advancements they believe 3D printing will have in the medical field. Companies have already printed kidneys, skin, and a replica of a beating heart. This means that people needing a transplant would no longer have to spend years waiting on the donor list. Additionally, companies have already printed prosthetic limbs and one day believe they'll be able to print entire limbs that are fully functional.
An Upgrade to Virtual Personal Assistants
Most people are familiar with the virtual assistants that come with our smartphones. However, the virtual assistants of the future go above and beyond what our current smartphone assistants can do. They'll be able to learn our voices and use voice recognition to sort through address books and email messages. Plus, they'll be able to boost daily efficiency by listing tasks in the best logical steps or pointing out if you're going to run late for a meeting.
Other virtual personal assistants will keep track of your browsing habits and alert you if you happen to walk past a store that carries a pair of shoes you've had your eye on.
Multiple Uses for Drones
While drones have made headlines for their use in the military, there's a large world that businesses are just starting to investigate. A few online businesses have experimented with using drones to make deliveries. Their hope is that this fleet of drones will get customers their packages in 30 minutes or less. Package carriers are also looking to cut their truck lines by replacing them with drones. Additionally, pizza chains are trying out drones to deliver their orders all over town.
However, drones aren't just being used for food and package delivery. They're also being used to shoot movies, provide Internet access to remote areas around the world, and provide real-time images that can help rescue workers during disasters.
Growing Cloud Technology
Cloud computing has been a huge factor in the technology world for years, and it's only predicted to grow bigger. Right now, 94 percent of companies say that they already run or want to run their computing services in the cloud. Currently, 27 percent of companies are moving their workloads to the cloud because they believe it will help them lower their expenses.
In fact, 42 percent of companies in the United States and the United Kingdom said they had to hire IT professionals because of their cloud computing skills. Another 43 percent of companies said they're having a difficult time finding IT professionals with cloud computing skills. As a result of this current need and the prediction that more companies will turn to cloud technology, cloud architects are considered one of the fastest growing careers in the country.
Connecting Other Devices to the Internet
Now, more than ever before, our devices are able to speak to each other through the Internet. Many people think that this so-called Internet of Things is the next growing phase of technology. More than 10 billion devices are already connected online and this number continues to grow every day. In fact, by 2015, experts estimate that there will be 25 million independent Internet-connected devices.
Additionally, 96 percent of interviewed companies believe that in the next three years they'll be using the Internet of Things in some way. This can range from situations where your smartphone can control the thermostat and the lights in your house, to refrigerators that can remind you that you're out of milk when you go to the grocery store.
Virtual Reality in the Workplace
While virtual reality used to be relegated to the future of video games, businesses today are using it to enhance their workplace and make it more efficient. Certain businesses are using virtual reality to make training more efficient, more engaging, and less expensive. Other businesses are using it to deliver data presentations that are manipulative and visual. Finally, businesses are also using virtual reality to bring together coworkers from all across the globe. People are able to inhabit and communicate in the same space even though they're actually thousands of miles apart.
Sharing Money With Friends
Splitting the tab with friends used to be a complicated task that involved plenty of arguments and math calculations. However, more apps are coming to the market to make mobile payments fun, easy, and secure. These apps are ideal for sending small amounts of money but are also being used to chip in on large purchases. While this is an exciting development for those who struggle with math, it's even more exciting for those looking to break into the smartphone app business. This is especially true as some of the bigger social network sites start to get involved in mobile payments.
These seven trends will change careers in the technology industry and change the way the industry works. If you're looking to get ahead in the tech industry, keep your eyes on these trends that are predicted to make a big splash in 2015.
Contributed to jobs.net by Kim Hale