Technology has been a bit of a mixed bag for us mere humans. In some instances, it has created a convenience by saving us time and money while in other instances, it has been used to wreak havoc and cause distress.
Regardless, technology is a thing of the here and now, and most definitely part of our future. Which can be a little disconcerting when you realise just how heavily we rely on technology and make use of it in our daily lives, and that’s today – who knows just how much it will control us in five or ten years’ time!
Don’t Be Afraid…It’s Just Technology Advancing by the Second (Or So It Seems)
It’s a fact – technology is advancing at a rapid rate. Things that seemed “space age” just a few years ago are becoming (or have already become) part of our everyday lives. This list of 5 top advanced technologies should illustrate the point perfectly:
- Hearing voices (in stores, not in your head!)
This is not quite the same as subliminal advertising, but it may as well be. Audio spotlight systems have been created to deliver advertising messages to consumers in grocery stores. Ultrasonic frequencies are used, so the grocery store won’t be noisy with a babble of advertising messages. You will only hear what’s being said if you are standing in just the right place. This hasn’t made its way to SA yet, but keep an ear alert – it will! - Artificial intelligence that could get too intelligent
AI is not quite what it used to be, and there are great things planned for it. In fact, in some industries, AI already provides better customer service assistance than we humans currently offer. There is always the fear that these “robots” will decide the human race is insignificant and take over. After all, isn’t that why Facebook shut down their AI project, when the bots started communicating with each other in their own language? - I spy with my little…drone!
Drones are fast becoming an accepted norm. While there is much work being done on their functionality, some companies already use drones for deliveries, surveillance and photography. It is believed that drones will be extremely useful to government for military purposes, policing and of course, for spying on the general population. - 3D printing
3D printing has captured the attention of many with things such as kids toys, replicas of your favourite ornaments, architectural plans and more already being run off the printer. For manufacturing companies, it’s a dream come true. It could be a dream come true for criminals too. In the USA, opportunistic criminals used desktop 3D printing to replicate the front of an ATM machine. This was then used to skim cards from users which resulted in the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars! Imagine the same type of criminal mindsets working on 3D printing of guns, bombs and similar! - Take me home, driverless car!
The driverless car is a concept that has wowed many. While the idea isn’t yet fully operational anywhere in the world, there are cities where driverless cars exist and are used. All well and good if you want to get a bit of work done on your way to the airport or a meeting. Let the car do the driving while you send emails, snack on your lunch, call a friend. Yet the risks can’t be overlooked. There’s occasionally the need for a human driver to take over, say for example at a toll booth or when an unavoidable obstacle is in the way. The time needed to alert the passenger – who could be fully engrossed in an online article or even dozing, is still a grey area with engineers.
These are just some of the more advancing technologies that could be a little daunting too. Have you heard of any advanced technologies that you think are impressive and a bit scary at the same time? Let us know, we would love to hear about them!