Technology is set to create the largest opportunities over the next decade thanks to the emergence of some of the new trends in 2020 according to research firm Gartner. Our workplaces, jobs, and lives are rapidly changing thanks to new technologies that are being deployed now. They not only dramatically speed up our connection speeds but also empower healthcare providers to deliver better aid and alter our very reality.
5G Networks Start To Take Shape
Fifth-generation of mobile networks (5G) are expected to roll-out, finally making the move from concept to reality. This comes with the promise of faster data connections and improved coverage, so much so that we may become less reliant on fixed connections within our homes and offices. Unlike previous generations of wireless connectivity, the arrival of 5G will result in a broad scope of benefits including the support of billions of connected devices i.e. the Internet of Things (IoT) and services across a wide range of industries and related technologies.
This would enable the operation of smarter connected machines that need reliable fast connectivity to push data forwards and backward from the cloud. Such use cases include self-driving cars or the implementation of smart manufacturing in which factories are able to run by themselves.
Already Singapore has plans to roll out commercial 5G services in 2020 and intends to have at least 50% of the city-state covered by 2022.
The Rise of Predictive and Personalised Medicine
Healthcare technology is set to be a game-changer for both doctors and patients as the advancement in wearable smart devices and genome data will help doctors get an accurate picture of a patient’s well-being and develop more effective medicine that is tailored to each patient.
Data derived from our wearable smart devices like the Apple Watch, Fitbit and many others, are able to accurately track a patient’s health more accurately. This is pivotal in predicting and treating health issues in people before they experience any adverse symptoms.
Evidence suggests that wearable devices like the Apple Watch could add an additional two years to your life because it can monitor your heart condition and give you a warning should it detect an anomaly. This was evident in a study on 400,000 adults conducted by insurance company Rand Europe.
When it comes to treatments, doctors will be able to provide a more personalised approach to medicine, detecting what your genetic makeup is and what treatment is best for the patient. This is also referred to as precision medicine which allows doctors to more precisely prescribe medicines and apply treatments, thanks to a data-driven understanding of how effective they are likely to be for a specific patient.
AI, it is giving us a greater understanding of how different people’s bodies are better or worse equipped to fight off specific diseases, as well as how they are likely to react to different types of medication or treatment.
Extended Reality Will Blur The Lines of The Virtual World
Extended Reality (XR) is not a new technology so much as it is a catch-all term that covers several new and emerging technologies: Virtual Reality where we completely immerse ourselves into, into the digital world using headsets, Augmented Reality will overlay things on to the real world via smartphone, glasses or displays (like Snapchat filters) and Mixed Reality, an extension of AR that lets users interact with digital objects in the real world like being able to play a holographic piano via an AR headset.
Although several of these technologies have been around for a number of years, resulting in the Oculus Rift and Vive, they were mostly limited to virtual reality games or used as smartphone camera filters to overlay digital objects into the real world. Now, however, there is a wider proliferation of the technology such as AR being used by companies like Rolex to allow its customers to try on Rolex watches by overlaying a virtual model of the watch on their wrist. This whole idea of try before you buy will make a big impact and could potentially go mainstream in 2020.
But beyond entertainment, VR and AR have enormous potential in training, education, marketing, and even rehabilitation after an injury. It can even be used to train doctors to perform surgeries or offer museum-goers a deeper experience.
In 2020, businesses are coming to grips with the wealth of exciting possibilities offered by both current forms of XR. Virtual and augmented reality will become increasingly prevalent for training and simulation, as well as offering new ways to interact with customers.
