The world of tech is constantly changing and we’re almost not surprised by innovations that seem to come straight from sci-fi anymore.
2017 has been a year filled with innovation in technology, and these are the ones that really blew our minds.
1. Sophia the robot
Sophia the robot has (literally) become the face of artificial intelligence (AI). This year has been a big one for Sophia. She was interviewed on some of the most popular talk shows and even became a citizen of Saudi Arabia – a first for a robot. Sophia’s ability to converse has been steadily improving, and we look forward to seeing the strides AI is sure to make in 2018.
2. Wireless charging
Many new releases in the realm of mobile phones now have wireless charging capabilities. Considering that mobile developers are also getting rid of headphone jacks, it seems that the future of mobile will be one with no strings attached.
3. Facial recognition for personal security purposes
Although biometric data is increasingly used instead of passwords to access cellphones, Apple’s latest release, the iPhone X, really highlighted the use of facial recognition for security purposes in mobile phones. In China, you can already authorise payments with your face.
4. Self-driving automobiles
Autonomous vehicles were big in 2017. There is an increasing push from services like Uber and Lyft to use self-driving cars to get their clients from point A to point B, and Elon Musk’s Tesla is also continuously developing its Autopilot feature. What a time to be alive!
5. Virtual reality
VR is slowly, but surely beginning to infiltrate every sphere of the Internet of Things. Facebook has developed a VR headset to specifically bring this technology to the masses, and is also incorporating it into one of its latest developments, called Spaces. The possibilities of VR are endless, and 2018 will show us even greater adoption of this technology.