Although the title specifies 2022, these technological advances are not fads or trends that will fizzle out quickly over the years. Many of these technological advances will take a long time to mature, and there have been talks of them emerging for a long time.
One such example is virtual reality. What was symbolised by goofy headgear and aimlessly swinging controllers to play games, is not being repurposed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and named ‘the metaverse’.
Here are four technological ‘trends’ that you can expect to hear more of in 2022, and beyond.
The Metaverse
For many years, this has been dreamed and sought-after by many technologists…for a day when our virtual lives would play an important role, just like our physical lives. The idea of a metaverse is that we would spend more time interacting with friends in virtual space, and as a result of this, also spend money there too for ourselves (or rather our digital selves).
According to Matthew Ball, metaverse represents the next phase of our lives where ‘visual representation [takes place] and dimensionalises it. You go into an environment and express yourself through an avatar.’
Ball assures us that throughout these last two years, more technological advances have seeped through to make the metaverse more realistic. In fact, in 2021, Facebook announced that it has renamed itself Meta after making a shipment of 10 million units of its virtual-reality headset, the Quest 2.
While some of us like spending our actual money on tangible items like clothes, technology, entertainment purposes such as online gambling and sports betting which is ever increasing, especially sports betting in India, or experiences such as travel, others are willing to splurge on their digital selves. We can already see countless of investors who bought NFTs or digital objects purchased with cryptocurrency. Apple assures that from 2022 onwards, there is more to come.
Digital Health
We have already experienced fitness gadgets such as Apple Watch and Fitbit, helping us track out heart rate and movement. This led to tech companies experimenting on smaller wearable devices that have the potential of gathering more intimate data about our health.
Oura, a health tech company, recently introduced a new version of its Oura Ring which is embedded with sensors to track metrics like body temperature and menstruation cycles. Another health start-up, Movano, goes a step further with its device to inform the wearer about potential chronic illnesses and diseases.
While medical experts are still unsure about the potential consequences of health tech, these devices could be a massive step forward in the industry.
Smart Home
Smart home is not a term to our ears. Smart home products such as door locks, robotic vacuum cleaners, and internet-connected thermostats are already on the market and wisely used by the public. Yet, for the most part, the concept of smart homes has remained chaotic since many products didn’t connect or work well with all technology. The lack of compatibility remains an issue to this day.
2022 might be the year in which all rivals – Apple, Samsung, Google, and Amazon – will collaborate to make smart homes more practical. They plan to update their technology and release new products, in collaborate with Matter, a new standard that will enable smart home devices to talk to each other, regardless of brand. So, while you’re busy placing your sports betting bets, you can leave all your smart devices to communicate using a common language to make your smart home dreams come true!
Electric Cars
US President Joe Biden announced that by 2030, half of all the vehicles sold in the United States will be electric. This led to various automakers to hype up their electric cars. In fact, Ford announced plans to increase their F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck production. General Motors also plans to reveal a battery-powered version of its famous Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.
Not to mention that most people will always gravitate towards Tesla when speaking about electric cars since they made a head start when it comes to rolling out charging stations.
We’re excited for the future – 2022 will be a great year but we’re sure that technology is going to get bigger and better as years roll by.
