3 New Technologies For You

We are often excited about new technologies and ways to improve our lives. Here are 3 new technologies which I’m excited about. Referencing these technologies might help make you sound smarter at your next party or add to conversation starters with colleagues at work. My intent in sharing is to help teach you what I’m learning with the goal of adding value to your personal and professional life.?

1. The first technology is a bit fishy. In the meat industry, it is normal to turn the whole animal into a food product. However, the fish industry is very different - only about half of the weight of the fish ends up on the plate. Researchers in Sweden are working to solve this problem by using a new technology ensuring we get 5 good cuts from fish and not just the 1 filet. Imagine having the whole fish turned into a nutritious and delicious food. Like spam but better tasting and better for you.?

Not hungry just yet? This new technology uses improved sorting methods by systematically comparing the lipid oxidation of the materials. This means that filet, backbones, tail-fin, head, belly flat, and even viscera can all be separated. There’s more meat left on the bone. You can read more about the details of the study here.

In the meantime, this is a very important problem to solve since there is a strong demand for finding higher value seafood because of population growth and a diet shift to consuming more protein.?

2. I tend to look at new patents that are filed because I’m always interested in learning more about what others are up to. You can view them all at https://www.uspto.gov/. Universal Studios just filed a patent for an “Interactive Headgear”. This wearable technology has accelerometers that will display different images on screens depending on the orientation of the wearer’s head. Think like emojis or special AR effects. The patent includes defining headgear as “anything including helmet, hat, headband, glasses, or goggles.” The patent images show a wireless sensor that could potentially communicate with other headsets including displaying location and preferences. My family and I aren’t the biggest amusement park aficionados, but I am impressed with the amount of effort large companies are putting into entertainment. I could see an application for this type of technology while watching an NFL game. You could make an in-person experience even more immersive - or perhaps just cause more dizziness.?

3. Alexa is demoing a new feature which you may love or hate. It allows Alexa to read in your deceased relative’s voices. Imagine asking your Echo Dot to read the first chapter of a famous Roald Dahl book to your kid in their late-grandfather’s voice? Instead of Alexa’s voice reading the book, it would be the kid’s grandfather’s voice with all of the same intonations and expressions. Creepy? Helpful??

The feature is just one of the many new features from Alexa which allow just a few seconds of text (e.g. from a previous request to Alexa) to be used for future reading. The goal, according to the head scientists, is to help users build greater trust and empathy with artificial intelligence. I’m curious if you would use this technology? I know I personally would not but then again I can’t get myself to delete my saved voicemails from my late-grandparents.?

There are a lot of positives and negatives with this new technology. On the negative side, this technology could be leveraged and misused by cybercriminals to impersonate another person’s voice with just a small sample. It also raises ethical concerns about consent and privacy.?

My hope is that by learning about these new technologies you can add your personal perspective to the discussion in the comments section below. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and perspectives. I’m eager to remain curious together as we learn more about the future of technology.?