Top Ten Emerging Technologies of 2016

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Technology

There are a number of pressing challenges confronting the world, and to solve them we’ll need the help of breakthrough technologies—including nanosensors, 2D materials, autonomous vehicles, and miniature models of human organs, the stuff of science fiction made real. Not all of them are unheard-of, and many have been on the technological horizon for some time—but 2016 promises to be their breakout year.

Here’s a Look at the Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2016, compiled by the World Economic Forum’s Meta-Council on Emerging Technologies.

 

1. NANOSENSORS AND THE INTERNET OF NANOTHINGS

With the Internet of Things expected to comprise 30 billion connected devices by 2020, one of the most exciting areas of focus today is now on nanosensors capable of circulating in the human body or being embedded in construction materials. Once connected, this Internet of Nanothings could have a huge impact on the future of medicine, architecture, agriculture and drug manufacture.

 

 

 

2. NEXT-GEN BATTERIES

One of the greatest obstacles holding renewable energy back is matching supply with demand, but recent advances in energy storage using sodium, aluminum and
zinc based batteries makes mini-grids feasible that can provide clean, reliable, round-the-clock energy sources to entire villages.

 

 

3. THE BLOCKCHAIN

Much already has been made of the distributed electronic Ledger behind the online currency Bitcoin. With related venture investment exceeding $1 billion in 2015 alone,
the economic and social impact of blockchain’s potential to fundamentally change the way markets and governments work is only now emerging.

 

 

4. 2D MATERIALS

Graphene may be the best-known, single -atom Layer material, but it is by no means the only one. Plummeting production costs mean that such 2D materials are emerging in a wide range of applications, from air and water filters to new generations of wearables and batteries.

 

 

5. AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Self -driving cars may not yet be fully legal in most geographies, but their potential for saving lives, cutting pollution, boosting economies, and improving quality of life for the elderly and other segments of society has led to rapid deployment of key technology forerunners along the way to full autonomy.

 

 

6. ORGANS-ON-CHIPS

Miniature models of human organs—the size of a memory stick—could revolutionize medical research and drug discovery by allowing researchers to see the behaviors of biological mechanisms in ways never before possible.

 

 

7. PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS

This new photovoltaic material offers three improvements over the classic silicon solar cell: it is easier to make, can be used virtually anywhere and, to date, keeps on generating power more efficiently.

 

 

 

8. OPEN Al ECOSYSTEM

Shared advances in natural language processing and social awareness algorithms, coupled with an unprecedented availability of data, will soon allow smart digital assistants to help with a vast range of tasks, from keeping track of one’s finances and health to advising on wardrobe choices.

 

 

9. OPTOGENETICS

The use of Light and color to record the activity of neurons in the brain has been around for some time, but recent developments mean light can now be delivered deeper into brain tissue, something that could lead to better treatment for people with brain disorders.

10. SYSTEMS METABOLIC ENGINEERING

Advances in synthetic biology, systems biology and evolutionary engineering mean that the list of building block chemicals that can be manufactured better and more cheaply by using plants rather than fossil fuels is growing every year.

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