What Surprises Does Technology Have in Store for 2015?

Every year the world of technology become increasingly sophisticated. From the introduction of the internet and the launch of the iPhone to the pioneering of curved TV screens and the unveiling of 4G coverage, there is a constant flow of exciting new innovations. So what’s next on the horizon for technology as we know it? To give you an idea of what’s in store we’ve put together an overview of some of the most promising new technological developments on the cards for 2015 and beyond.

No-touch interfaces

When touchscreen technology first hit the market consumers were blown away by its modernity. Now, the technology industry is set to take a step back from touch screens and replace them with next generation no-touch interfaces. These will be embedded with human like qualities, smart sensors and intelligent back-end systems which will make the entire experience amazingly intuitive.

Ubiquitous computing

The introduction of cell phones and portable devices saw technology become significantly more mobile. Thanks to a plethora of new innovations technology is set to become a ubiquitous feature of everyday life.

The rise of Kaku’s Caveman Law

The emergence of the information economy has seen the establishment of four major digital laws. In the 80s and 90s Moore’s Law was all about processing capacity and states that every 18 months the power of chips increases by 50%. Kryder’s Law preceded this theory and observes the fact that storage capacity doubles every 12 months. Nielsen’s Law relates to the internet and notes the trend of effective bandwidth doubling every 21 months. These are all important, however it is Kaku’s Caveman Law that will define the next era of technology. Now that engineers have overcome the logistical boundaries of technology the principle states that “Whenever there is a conflict between modern technology and the desires or our primitive ancestors, these primitive desires win each time.” This newly aligned focus on primitive desires will see devices become more natural and intuitive than ever before. Eventually they look set to disappear altogether!

Blurring the line between man and machine

Similar to the emergence of Kaku’s Caveman Law, the sophistication of modern technology will see a shift in focus. Rather than speed and power, developers will start to focus on new functions such as nanotechnology, energy and genomics. This new breed of supercomputing has already seen IBM’s Watson machine quash a reigning chess champion and come up trumps in a game of Jeopardy! Now, the multinational technology and consulting corporation has its sights set on using Watson to carry out inherently human tasks such as customer service, medicine and law. The line between man and machine has never been so blurred.

Production that’s closer to home

Manufacturing has previously been outsourced to cheap labour, however the next era of technology will see a new appreciation for keeping production close to home. This is driven by innovations such as CAD software and 3D printers, both of which hold more informational value than physical worth.

The dominance of big fish

In the past technological revolutions were open to anyone, from garage based hobbyists to billion pound businesses. Yet this is all set to change as the tech world becomes increasingly focussed on intelligent platforms rather than devices and applications. Think Google Brain, IBM’s Watson and Microsoft’s Azure, all of which required years of development and billions of pounds worth of capital. The small fish simply can’t compete with.

Teamwork

Recently, a team of scientists in the US tried to answer the question: can robots work together to achieve a common goal? In the first study of its scale, the Harvard-based Self Organising Systems Research Group built a swarm of small cylindrical robots. The objective of the study? To see if they could form a massive structure to overcome their limitations as an individual. So, could teamwork be the next step in technology? We explore in this story: Can 1,000 Robots be Capable of Teamwork?