The year of the things
As we all settle back into work and pick up the pieces following another January of failed resolutions, it occurred to me that now would be the perfect time to lift our collective spirits with a post on some of the exciting gadgets and services soon to grace our homes, heads & pockets. So without further ado, here are a couple that stuck out for me:
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Project Jacquard: Google (Smart clothes)
This painfully cool project involves weaving conductive yarns into clothing, thereby allowing touch & gesticulation sensors to be placed directly into textiles. There are no limits on the design potential of this & i for one definitely intend on smart suiting up.
Digital clothes people. The implications... Swipe a hand to open a door, press that lapel to turn on your sound system, twist your arm to phone a friend, shake a colleagues hand to automatically share contact details, VR games able to accurately mimic all of a players movements..
As if that wasn't enough this crazy innovation can be mass produced the world over using existing industrial looms.
https://www.google.com/atap/project-jacquard/
Smart gear is great news for the fitness freaks too with myriad health implications. Wearable body metrics don't need to break the bank as stiff competition is already under foot with Hexoskins sleek and reasonably priced offering which monitors your fitness routine through sensors in the fabric for under ￡120. (https://www.hexoskin.com/)
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Smart Security
Smart security developments are something that I've always found particularly exciting & is an area that should see one of the bigger overhauls as the IoT marketplace matures. A great example is security company Loxone which offers a heady range of different devices & alarm systems for the home. These include silent alarms (personal call), audible alarms (blast music at intruders which follows them from room to room), visual alarms (flash your homes main lights) & a massive range of pressure, visual & audio sensors that report directly to an app on your phone or even a private security outfit depending on your budget. (https://tinyurl.com/hdqd3xd)
This is not to mention the developments in camera tech which include advanced facial recognition software and the ability to stream live footage to your browser or iphone. A cool example is the Netatmo NSC01-EU Wi-Fi Home Camera which stands guard 24/7, reporting any incident in crisp 1080p. (https://tinyurl.com/hqrob93) The Netatmo isn't close to best in breed however as smart cameras have been developed that intelligently distinguish between distinct types of movement, identifying human from animal & object.
In summary, all of the above combined with the rising tide of biometric tech looks set to provide a real challenge for the next generation of burglars. Oceans 11 eat your heart out!
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Autonomous cars
Autonomous cars aren't due for public use until 2018/2020 as technology is still in the prototyping phase and infrastructure / regulation has yet to catch up. Nevertheless driverless vehicles are very nearly ready and using a system of cameras, lasers & radar tech have already accomplished some pretty amazing feats. This is probably best represented by Alphabet subsidiary Google X which is leading the way, having logged over 700.000 driver-less miles in Nevada, Florida & California (USA).
Not to be outdone, Tesla, Audi & the other traditional car manufacturers are only a few years behind. The most interesting players in the game right now however might well be Uber & Lyft. Uber alone has pumped more than 500M into establishing a research facility investigating autonomous taxis & Lyft has expressed intent after raising over $1B in its latest round of funding. (Which included a hefty buy-in from General Motors.)
Finally some good news for my fellow Londoners as TFL chiefs discuss next steps with Google X & stumped up 20M towards developing infrastructure for autonomous transport. https://tinyurl.com/jew2qow
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The Samsung Family Hub Refrigerator
Although the Family Hub certainly isn't the first attempt at a smart fridge, this awesome product really does embody the connected home and significantly ups the anty for those in the appliance game. At ￡3500 it's not cheap, but hell: Remotely accessible internal cameras, a 21.5-inch Gorilla glass full HD touch screen, a raft of apps (Order food, Alarm, films, music etc) and a sleek look is tough to beat. All this hitting your wallet no harder than existing top end models.
The fridge looks legitimately futuristic and given the company's discussions with Amazon to introduce Alexa, the companies cloud-connected AI assistant .. Things can only get better.
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Drones
Drones, drones and more drones - expect some massive developments in this space in 2016. Amazons drone delivery service is on the horizon which means your over-sized packaging will be dropped off directly at your home (https://www.amazon.com/b?node=8037720011) & hopefully 2016 will finally be the year hover-boards blast into the scene. In the video below you'll see the latest Guinness world record for unassisted flight on a hoverboard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfa9HrieUyQ
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Wildcard: The internet of DNA
"The unfolding calamity in genomics is that a great deal of life-saving information, though already collected, is inaccessible." David Shaywitz
The internet of DNA refers to the concept of creating a hub for genetic information online and offers untold opportunities to discover more about the human condition, cure diseases and save lives.. Maybe in the future even enhancing them. However it also presents drastic moral and ethical challenges - The article below gives some thoughts on this. Well worth a read!
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The industry bit...
Despite the chiefly product driven focus of this post it's worth raising that the macro impact of global connectivity will go far beyond home automation & nifty new gadgets. Suffice to say it's going to be a great but challenging year for tech & for telecoms. If you're interested in reading more on the IoT then www.telecoms.com has some great webinars & white papers available for free.