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Top Tech Trends: 5 Technologies to Watch Out for in 2017Author: David Ryan

2017 will be a remarkable year on the technology front.

In 2017, technology promises to provide a wide array of exciting developments that will help businesses be more productive and streamlined. We’ll be looking at five exciting tech areas in this report that are exploding with sophisticated tools that will keep your business practices smart and on the cutting-edge:

IoT wearables have moved well beyond activity trackers into areas such as monitoring uterine contractions in pregnant women and smart glasses that offer virtual reality capability for training and troubleshooting, streamlining resources and efficiencies in engineering, construction and numerous other industries.

Augmented reality brings the application of a virtual layer onto a real layer in 2D or3D, creating a rich environment for industries that involve detailed planning. We’ll look at Microsoft’s new glasses which allow the wearer to interact with virtual objects in a variety of ways, providing a realistic vision of prospective environments designed, for instance, by engineers and construction teams looking to see how designs realistically align with environments.

Sensor technology allows us to remotely monitor and improve operational and manufacturing practices from great distances. We’ll look at advances in remote sensors which allow for streamlined efficiencies in industries ranging from food and beverage to pharmaceuticals and precision agriculture.

In the area of communications technology, we’ll look at the impact of 5G, the next generation of wireless technology, and how it will impact everything from faster data transmission to more efficient monitoring of pollution and waste management in municipalities, creating smarter cities.

Artificial Intelligence promises great innovation this year with remarkable advances in business and personal use of artificial intelligence technology, helping to automate tasks, communications and access to data.

Read on to learn about the best and the brightest technological advances and how they are shaping and benefitting business, quality of life and our world.

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IoT wearables

IoT wearables aren’t exactly new, but their constant evolution and increasing prevalence in business make them a technology to watch in 2017. In the healthcare sector, the Bloomlife Wearable Sensor for Expecting Moms turned heads at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The sensor, which is expected to hit the market in late January (at a retail price of $149 per month), is worn as an adhesive on the abdomen and works by monitoring electrical signals from the uterine muscle that determine the number of contractions (and the time between them) during the final trimester.2 Measuring contractions in this manner can ensure that pregnancies are going as planned, while alerting expecting mothers and healthcare professionals if something is amiss. The data from the sensor is emitted wirelessly and can be viewed from a mobile app.2

Another technology that will see an evolutionary leap in 2017 is smart glasses. Products like ODG’s R-8 and R-9 smart glasses (expected in Q2 at prices of $1,000 and $1,800 respectively) are expected to harness computing power and connectivity like never before. ODG’s glasses will showcase augmented reality capability in addition to sharing pictures, videos and messages through the internet.3 Workers in many industries will be able to use these for troubleshooting and training purposes. For example, a construction worker in the field will be able to send video of a collapsed section of a wall to headquarters where it can be analyzed by engineers, who in turn respond with instructions on how to fix the problem. The virtual reality component will allow workers in myriad industries to train in virtual environments, eliminating the (often) costly need for physical training resources.

For example, a construction worker in the field will be able to send video of a collapsed section of a wall to headquarters where it can be analyzed by engineers, who in turn respond with instructions on how to fix the problem.

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The success of Pokémon GO in 2016 was seen by many as marking the start of the augmented reality era. Augmented reality—the application of a virtual layer onto a real layer, whether in 2D or 3D—is likely to see a growing number of business applications in 2017.4 Tech giant Microsoft is just one company that’s entering the game with its HoloLens glasses.5 HoloLens, which retails for $3000, was made available to developers in 2016. The glasses allow for virtual objects to be added into your field of vision in 3D. The kicker is that the HoloLens wearer can interact with and move these virtual objects in a variety of ways, including grabbing, swiping and even with a gaze.6 While this tech is a work in progress, the applications for business are staggering. For instance, engineers and construction teams will be able to interact with real environments to see how their designs fit in the real world. What's more, augmented reality allows for remote collaboration meetings where participants, whether in the room physically or a remote location, will feel like they are in the same space. Businesses will use AR for training and education, repairs, product showcasing, tours and maps or augmented office spaces in which white board scribbles are instantly transformed into presentations with a voice command. Augmented reality brings remarkable benefits and streamlined efficiencies to business.14 And glasses won’t necessarily be required for augmented reality applications. As we saw with Pokémon GO, the tech works on regular mobile devices, too. 2017 should see more of this, with applications like improved navigation. Imagine holding your phone up to see a virtual arrow in a store, which points you to the aisle you want.

How big is augmented reality? At this year’s CES show in Las Vegas, more than 70 companies represented the technology, a 48% increase from 2016. The amount of floor space nearly doubled this year at 8,500 square feet, up from 4,500 in 2016.5 There’s no question this is one to watch.

Augmented reality

As we saw with Pokémon GO, the tech works on regular mobile devices, too. 2017 should see more of this, with applications like improved navigation.

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Sensor technology

Remote sensors have been making themselves felt for years now. In fact, they’re embedded in many of the remarkable tech breakthroughs we’ve seen over the last several years, including many IoT wearables, drones, smart agriculture equipment (such as smart tractors) and more. 2017 will see that trend become more prevalent as business leaders find new and better ways to utilize sensor data. One industry where an explosion is taking place is in manufacturing. Remote sensors, installed on assembly lines, send detailed reports to control centers that enable them to fix problems and correct errors the moment they occur.8

Companies like Keyence Corp. of America are designing a wide array of remote sensor products that can be adapted into various manufacturing settings.8 Keyence will be displaying a series of packaging sensors at Pack Expo East 2017 (in Philadelphia from Feb. 27 to March 1) that can help business leaders in industries ranging from food and beverage to pharmaceuticals automate their dispensing processes, resulting in greater accuracy, efficiency and cost effectiveness.8

Another thing to watch for in 2017 where sensors are concerned is lower costs. In the world of precision agriculture, for instance, companies like Driscoll are taking advantage of cheaper field sensors to use more of them.9 Whereas farmers might once have employed a single sensor in a 100-acre field, they’re now able to use 10 or 20, giving them a much more complete and detailed map of plant health and soil quality.9 As remote sensing technology becomes cheaper in general, we can expect greater adoption across multiple industries.

Remote sensors, installed on assembly lines, send detailed reports to control centers that enable them to fix problems and correct errors the moment they occur.

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Communications technology

While developers and industry experts are still trying to specifically define 5G, there’s no doubt it’s the future of communications technology. Like 3G and 4G before it, 5G refers to the next generation of wireless technology. 5G, when fully implemented, will exponentially increase the amount of wireless data flow, including machine-to-machine communications. Transfer speeds of 10 to 100 times current 4G capabilities are being forecasted.10

Smart cities will become smarter as increasing amounts of data leads to better control of street and traffic lights, air pollution monitoring and even waste management

U.S. regulators agreed in July to set aside the necessary amount of airwave space for 5G technology.10 Though it isn’t expected to be fully implemented until approximately 2020, developers and wireless tech companies are working furiously to get it off the ground. Benefits of the tech will include faster downloads and the improved performance of remote sensor technologies. Increased broadband capability will allow for a greater transfer of data that is gathered from sensors, which means that smart machines will be able to process and take action faster. Smart cities will become smarter as increasing amounts of data leads to better control of street and traffic lights, air pollution monitoring and even waste management. 5G will also help empower virtual and augmented reality technologies, as well as making high-speed broadband more readily available in remote communities.11

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Artificial intelligence

In 2016, tech giants Google and Amazon made headlines with Artificial Intelligence (AI) personal assistants, Google Assistant and Alexa.4 2017 will see a growing adoption of AI in both our personal lives and the business environment.5 There is no greater evidence of this than the prominence of Alexa at CES 2017.12 Alexa was showcased in devices ranging from LG’s Smart InstaView Refrigerator to the Lenovo Smart Assistant Speaker to Lynx, a remarkable robot from Ubtech Robotics.12 What can Alexa do? By way of voice command, it can read e-mails and news, conduct web searches, control IoT appliances, provide traffic updates and more. In 2017, we can expect developers to create more sophisticated business applications for the software.13 Users may soon be able to automate tasks (like filing spreadsheets), sending communications and calling up project data simply by voice command.13

In addition to the further development of Alexa, Google Assistant and other current AI offerings, 2017 is likely to see new solutions hit the market. How powerful will they be? It’s too early to tell, but there’s no doubt that AI technologies are changing the world, and 2017 promises to be a landmark year. You might not want to blink.

Users may soon be able to automate tasks (like filing spreadsheets), sending communications and calling up project data simply by voice command.

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Disclaimer: This white paper is provided for informational purposes only. Although this white paper is intended to provide accurate information with regard to the subject matter covered, the authors and their organizations accept no responsibility for errors and omissions. This white paper is provided “as is” with no warranties whatsoever including any warranty of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.

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1. Here are the craziest, most ground breaking achievements of 2016 http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/2016-top-breakthroughs/

2. Bloomlife wants to be your personal pregnancy coach http://www.wareable.com/wearable-tech/bloomlife-wants-to-be-your-personal-pregnancy-coach-3695

3. Industry leader ODG introduces R-8 and R-9 Smartglasses at CES 2017 http://www.osterhoutgroup.com/presskit/pressreleases/Industry_Leader_ODG_Introduces_R-8_and_R-9_Smartglasses.pdf

4. Top 17 tech trends for 2017 http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarwantsingh/2016/12/05/top-17-trends-for-2017/4/#16addbed1c9c

5. The 5 tech trends that will dominate CES and 2017 http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-5-tech-trends-that-will-dominate-ces-and-2017-2016-12-29

6. Hands on: Microsoft HoloLens review http://www.techradar.com/reviews/wearables/microsoft-hololens-1281834/review

7. 5 tech trends that will change the world in 2017 http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/technology-trends-2017/

8. Smart sensors on automated packaging machines enable Big Data advantages http://www.packagingdigest.com/automation/smart-sensors-on-automated-packaging-machines-enable-big-data-advantages-2017-01-05

9. Smart farms: Big Data meets Big Ag http://www.pcmag.com/news/348981/smart-farms-big-data-meets-big-ag

10. U.S. regulators pave way for speedy next-generation 5G networks http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-telecoms-idUSKCN0ZU1V9

11. Experience a whole new world with 5G at CES 2017 https://www.ericsson.com/thinkingahead/the-networked-society-blog/2017/01/03/5g10094/

12. Here are all of the new Alexa devices and skills of CES 2017 https://www.cnet.com/news/whats-alexa-up-to-at-ces-heres-a-running-list-ces-2017/

13. Amazon’s Alexa may be the next essential business tool http://www.tomsitpro.com/articles/amazon-alexa-business-uses,2-1100.html

14. Augmented Reality for Business http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/9245-augmented-reality-for-business.html

References

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