Every year technology advances, but the next two years could have something even more extraordinary in line.
Leading digital futurist Chris Riddell shares his predictions for what’s to come in 2017.
- ROBOTS
“Robots are going to be a big part of our lives over the next two years where we’ll start to see them become personal assistants in shopping centers, hotels and airlines,” Mr Riddell said.
“The big challenge for us as humans is we fear these robots are going to take over the world and we’re worried they’re going to take our jobs, but the reality is it’s just not true. There are more jobs around today then there have ever been before and the reason is because of technology. There are new jobs being created all the time because of technology,” he said.
This key trend could also transition into our homes with home robotics revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year.
One that’s been stealing headlines is the Kuri Smart Robot, selling for US$699. Kuri can be controlled through the Kuri mobile app and bleeps and bloops back at your command. Kuri has been described as a companion with expressive eyes, but it can also move, see, speak, listen, entertain and perform tasks, such as patrolling your home when you're not there.
So far Kuri can only be pre-ordered in the US, but other home robotics are expected to become available in Australia.
- CONNECTIVITY
Better connectivity through NBN (National Broadband Network) will be made available in more areas. According to Whistleout, NBN, is designed for high speed transfer of internet traffic and the government funded scheme plans to bring it to 93% of homes. Another benefit, is it will ensure rural areas can be connected too.
Chris Riddell said this type of technology is going to change our lives.
“In Australia we are technology addicts, more so then a lot of countries in the world. We’ve always loved adopting technology and testing out new things. NBN is being more widely adopted and people are better connected now then they ever have in history. It is crucial to our lives now, this type of technology is making our lives easier, quicker and making our lives better than it has before,” Mr Riddell said.
- VIRTUAL REALITY
The buzzing trend of virtual reality was quickly picked up by Australians with Playstation 4 Pro proving popular among 2016 Christmas wishlists, said Mr Riddell.
“Playstation have just launched a Playstation 4 head set and Australia sold out of it almost immediately,”
The digital futurist said popular this virtual reality product will continue to trend in 2017, along with the PlayStation VR Headset and Samsung Gear VR Headset.
On another note, he explained there will be a surge in screentime-to-playtime. An example from 2016 was when Pokemon Go began a trend in other Pokemon toys.