What Technologies Will Hold the Disruptive Keys to 2017?

December 20, 2016 – It is always fun to look ahead to the New Year and do a little bit of crystal ball forecasting. Technological innovation continues to disrupt existing paradigms in so many ways that it is hard to keep track of the change. But here are my best guesses for the top 10 that will drive change in 2017.

1. CRISPR/Cas9 – Not only is this gene editing tool driving the courts crazy with countering ownership claims, but also it is changing the way we approach cancer, disease-carrying insects, immunology, agriculture, and life itself. It has been described as the tool that will democratize genetics. We not only can change DNA to improve the human condition, we can also accelerate biology at near light-speed. So it takes my vote as the number one impactful technology in the coming year.
2. Internet of Things (IoT) – Sensors, devices in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and the Internet are converging to change how we work, live and measure the world around us. The Internet has blossomed into a collective consciousness not just for humans but for the machines we build and operate. We can measure the salinity, pH and temperature of the world’s oceans as never before because of ARGO and other remote devices that are globally interconnected. Our warehouses, container ships, and manufacturing plants are wired to provide data instantly, warn us of potential problems, and track almost everything using RFID, America’s GPS, Europe’s Galileo, India’s NAVIC, Russia’s GLONASS and China’s BeiDou navigation systems. If a device has a sensor in it today we have the means to connect to it. And with smart control systems in appliances and home devices we should see an explosion in the growth of domestic IoT in 2017.
3. Blockchain and cryptocurrencies – The world of banking and accounting is about to experience the wholesale impact of a common digital ledger technology known as blockchain. It looks like 2017 will be the year when transactions between countries with different currencies will no longer be the purview of banks. In fact cryptocurrencies will make the sending and receiving of money of any kind from anywhere a process independent of banks and brokers. Financial technology is moving forward at breakneck speed introducing consumers to mobile payment systems, and to cloud currencies. What started with bitcoins a few years ago is rapidly evolving into a global common digital ledger for doing not just money transactions, but numerous other kinds of transactions including: registering patents, contracts, stocks, bonds, land title, and all other kinds of digital documents, distributing public services, and more. For companies blockchain can simplify supply chain management. For energy blockchain can help distribute and manage surplus unused energy sources as we move to distributed micro-grid systems.
4. 3D printing – The technology that started off as a hobbyist’s delight is now building houses, rockets, complex machine parts, and becoming a staple of manufacturing processes. 3D printing is revolutionizing all kinds of medicine from reconstructive surgery, to dentistry to pharmacology. A 3D printer is on the International Space Station letting astronauts create replacement parts. We may soon add 3D printing technology to robotic spacecraft that we send to the Moon and Mars, capable of turning regolith and other local materials into future human habitats. 3D printers are replacing tool and dye. They are being used to build electronic circuits. Don’t be surprised to see 3D-printed clothing in 2017.
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) – From Universal translators to game-playing computers capable of beating the smartest humans on the planet, AI will continue to play a disruptive force in 2017. Watson, the IBM technology of Jeopardy fame, will apply its smart algorithms capable of seeing patterns in unstructured data to many new fields. In 2016 we saw IBM Watson Health begin a new era in cognitive healthcare assisting doctors with medical diagnoses. Watson even started helping financial planners make better decisions for clients. But in 2017 we may see Watson tackle cancer and other life-limiting diseases, help in the creation of new drug therapies, and even catch terrorists. Where else will AI be in vogue in 2017? Visual, speech and handwriting recognition with AI able to analyze content of images, recognize human faces and voices, and interpreting what satellites see from high above the planet. Increasingly smart robots intelligent enough to work side-by-side with humans or carry out tasks independently. And personal digital assistants far more capable than Siri, Cortana, OK Google and Alexa and able to be accessed through our many devices from mobile phones to smart televisions to computer systems.
6. Robotics – The rise of the robots will continue to both impress and alarm us in 2017. Robots will continue to be integrated into industrial processes with year-over-year unit sales increases. More than one in four of the close to 250,000 sold in 2016 were purchased by Chinese businesses. But a new area of anticipated growth will come with the arrival of personal service robots acting as digital assistants for homes and office use. Robots in 2017 will do more than assemble things. They will walk, run and fly. They will be on wheels, or will have legs and arms capable of doing what we humans do. They will be smarter, faster, interconnected, have stereoscopic vision, and be loaded with microelectronic sensors, actuators and articulated mechanics.
7. Virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) – It seems that this Christmas’ hottest new tech toy was VR headsets. Virtual travel, gaming, and sporting events have taken off. AR is now part of the retail shopping experience with VR headsets integrated with AR mobile apps that provide enhanced information on objects you look at as you walk through a store. Whether you chose Google DayDream or Samsung Gear, this new generation of VR headsets was no longer tethered to computer and console gaming systems. In 2017 expect VR and AR apps to make the use of the technology widespread with almost everything you do wired for the virtual world. It’s not yet the Holodeck of Star Trek because you still need a headset but it is pretty cool stuff.
8. Sustainable buildings and homes – In 2017 we will see the dawning of the age of solar, wind and geothermal-powered office buildings and homes. The trend to going green is irreversible. New cements and bricks for construction will absorb carbon dioxide and clean the air. Building surfaces and windows will generate energy. Standalone locally produced cooling and heating will generate surpluses to share with neighbouring buildings.
9. Microgrids and distributed energy – The ubiquitous power grid will find itself competing with the growing phenomenon of distributed power generation. Microgrids will feature a combination of power sources and energy storage systems capable of operating alone or linked to the larger grid. Capable of meeting local power needs microgrids will function on their own using sophisticated software systems to coordinate energy flows from multiple power sources. Whether dealing with the power needs of a single office tower or office tower cluster, or a residential neighbourhood, microgrid technology will draw on the power from rooftop solar, local wind turbines, solar windows and cladding, geothermal sources, fuel cells and battery storage.
10. Commercial space technology – SpaceX and Blue Origin were among the commercial space companies in 2016 that made us sit up and take notice. But we have only begun to see what commercial operators will bring to outer space and to us here on Earth. CubeSats and nano-satellites will make it possible for almost anyone on the planet to get involved with space. The Google Lunar X Prize final contestants will launch their robotic spacecraft to the Moon and demonstrate capabilities that formerly cost billions for a few million dollars. The first asteroid mining satellites will be launched. A private space company will temporarily become the single most powerful rocket launch system when SpaceX fires off the Falcon Heavy. And two private space companies will begin to offer taxi services to the International Space Station.

These are my top 10? What are yours?

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