Table of contents
Over the past two years, society has been reeling from the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we are now actively trying to navigate our next normal. These are precisely modern technologies that open up new opportunities, allowing us not to be afraid of major changes and to be prepared for any global market fluctuations. Artificial intelligence and the internet of things are reshaping business industries and boosting the talents of professionals such as teachers, doctors, and architects, allowing them to accomplish new incredible achievements.
What other technologies will define 2023? How to effectively implement them in your business? Forbes provides insights and inspiration to unlock innovation, build trust, and engineer advantage for the digital journey of your company. Let's create a picture of their possible future together.
Major Consumer Technology Trends for 2023
Consumer technology refers to any technology that is directly purchased by individuals to meet their needs, helping them solve problems and have better experiences in their day-to-day lives. This can include the latest smartphones, smartwatches, TV sets, and countless others. So here’s an overview of the tech trends that are going to change the way people live their lives.
AR, VR, and Internet of Senses
The stimulation of two of our senses – sight and hearing – is usually required to engage with digital content and services online.
Nowadays, customers expect outstanding digital and physical experiences. In the Internet of Senses, visual, audio, haptic, and other technologies allow human beings to have digital sensory experiences similar to the ones we experience in the physical world. The Internet of Senses augments our senses beyond the boundaries of our bodies, giving us augmented vision, hearing, touch, and smell. Therefore, technical experts strive to move forward to deliver customer experiences that are as similar as possible to what we experience in real life.
AR and VR, even though these technologies have long led the market for innovative solutions, continue to build their potential, helping to improve the processes of any business industry. According to various reports, both VR and AR consumer devices will proliferate during 2023, which means more content producers will be motivated to bring their games, solutions, and experiences to VR.
Personal and Domestic Robots
Domestic robots are no longer a surprise: robotic vacuum cleaners and other single-purpose devices have long been used by people, making it easier to carry out day-to-day tasks.
However, technology experts go even further. For example, Amazon is launching a multifunctional robot named Astro. The machine is equipped with cameras and a display on its front with a set of expressive animated eyes to map your home's layout, detect things, and check on loved ones and pets remotely. The robot can handle video calls, recognize people, come to find you when someone calls, and also serve as a security guard.
Internet of Things and Smart Homes
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a technology that is propelling society's continual digitalization and datafication in a variety of new amazing ways. These networks of interconnected things enable self-driving automobiles, autonomous manufacturing robots, and remote medical gadgets that allow physicians to diagnose patients and even perform surgery. Ericsson forecasts that by 2023, there will be around 29 billion of these devices connected to the internet globally.
Along with this, we are witnessing a tendency for household devices to become smarter. According to predictions, the trend for all domestic things to become increasingly “smart” and capable of communicating and connecting with each other in more useful ways will continue throughout the next year. The smart home market is also forecast to grow to $ 53 billion.
5G and Ultrafast Networks
5G, which is up to 100 times quicker than 4G, will open up previously unimagined prospects for both companies and consumers. Instead of being limited to expensive and flagship items, 5G capabilities will become the norm for mobile phones and other gadgets at all price points. This will result in the availability of higher-definition and higher-bandwidth video services. Faster connectivity speeds, ultra-low latency, and greater bandwidth will advance societies, transform industries, and dramatically enhance day-to-day experiences.
NFT, Blockchains, and Digital Twins
Nonfigurable tokens (NFTs), blockchain, and digital twins being closely related are continuing to hugely impact consumer products and fundamentally change the nature of doing business. How? More broadly, blockchain helps businesses cut costs by eliminating middlemen, vendors, and third-party providers that have traditionally enabled the processing that blockchain can do. Blockchain's unique features can increase trust, security, transparency and bring other benefits to businesses.
For example, such large manufacturing companies as Coca-Cola and Sony have already expressed interest in joining the NFT arena, which means that we can expect to see digital goods and services that complement and augment tangible consumer goods.
Metaverse
The idea for a metaverse has been around for some time, but now thanks to the backing of Facebook and Microsoft, there is a growing interest in building simulated worlds that closely model our reality. What is metaverse? It's a combination of multiple elements of technology, including virtual reality, augmented reality, and video where users "live" within a digital universe.
And Facebook is not alone with its interest in the metaverse. Other large companies have also been talking more about it recently, including Microsoft and Epic Games. As tech experts believe, the idea of creating a metaverse will attract many followers.
Tech Trends In Practice
Blockchain in Retail
At the start of the pandemic, retailers faced challenges such as keeping products on shelves, supply chains moving, stores open, and employees safe. Now is a decisive moment for the retail industry to use blockchain in addressing all the challenges of the new normal.
Thus, Auchan, one of France’s most prominent retailers, implemented blockchain food traceability. How does it work? The conditions and circumstances of transportation are more crucial than the route for certain items, such as food and medicines. With special sensors capable of communicating with the Internet, and thus with blockchain, it is possible to additionally measure and record parameters such as temperature and humidity during transportation, and the results of the measurements can be stored as blockchain transactions. The values can't be removed after they've been recorded, therefore the information is completely trustworthy.
Auchan uses this technology to track the supply chain of organic vegetables (including organic carrots, potatoes), poultry, exotic fruits, or cold cuts. It is worth mentioning that the application is beneficial not only for retailers themselves but also for consumers.
AR, VR, and Metaverse Reshaping Healthcare
The healthcare industry is now actively using technologies like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI) both in software and hardware to enhance the proficiency of medical devices and expand the reach of medical care. In short, the metaverse is an extension of the VR, AR, and mixed reality (MR) technologies that we use today.
When Meta (formerly known as Facebook) acquired Oculus in 2014, the company started its own way in the development of cutting-edge healthcare solutions. For example, the Oculus technology based on AR, VR, and MR is used at UConn Health, the University of Connecticut’s medical center to train orthopedic surgery students. With the Oculus Quest headsets, students can visualize in 3-D executing a variety of surgical procedures, such as putting a pin in a broken bone. Because the procedure is conducted digitally, the system allows the students to make mistakes and receive feedback from professionals.
Another example is Microsoft HoloLens, a mixed reality headset. The technology has a wide range of applications: it enables healthcare workers to collaborate remotely and conduct virtual patient consultations with real-time spatial information to accelerate diagnoses and reduce time-to-treatment, empowers clinicians and the care team to rapidly share imaging results, better contextualize physician-patient conversations, and drive more informed patient decision-making, and also enables modern telehealth solutions to improve care coordination, expand provider access, and address skill shortages.
The Power of IoT and 5G in Manufacturing
5G is rapidly becoming the world’s number one catalyst for enterprise digital transformation. The key advantages of 5G, which are low latency, high reliability, and increased speed are necessary to support emerging technologies and their novel applications in the smart manufacturing space, such as process automation, remote monitoring, and maintenance and device life cycle management, among others.
For example, Worcester Bosch, known for manufacturing domestic boilers, had launched the U.K.’s first 5G factory using a 5G private network and mobile edge computing infrastructure.
The factory uses 5G to run real-time machine sensors, allowing them to handle production line issues before they occur. An additional advantage has been the installation of a network of collision detection sensors, making the factory and its products significantly safer for on-the-ground employees.
Bosch also uses IoT technology: for example, the factory has sensors for preventative maintenance and real-time feedback, whilst also using data analytics to predict any potential failures. Through a combination of 5G technology, the factory has already been able to optimize machine performance and increase output by as much as 2%. The project is a great example of the journey into smart factories, offering efficiency that its predecessors, including 4G, simply couldn’t achieve.
Are you ready to innovate your business?
Emerline experts stay up to date on new technology trends and are always ready to integrate innovative solutions into your company’s business processes. Having rich expertise in the development of innovative solutions for business, our team can help to make your brightest tech ideas come true. Contact us for a free consultation, and we’ll help you start your company’s smart journey right now!
