New computer technologies. Interesting things on the web! Don't get hung up on technology
The passing year, despite the crisis, will be remembered by us for bright events and new technologies that are firmly integrated into our daily lives. Summing up the year, we recall the most striking decisions that changed our ideas about modern business.
VR and AR
Virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are taking the world by storm. Major corporations such as Alibaba, eBay and HTC are launching virtual reality stores. Apple has patented a helmet and is developing VR glasses. Retailers are actively launching virtual fitting rooms, hoping to attract new customers.
Some experts say that virtual reality will soon take us to a new retail dimension, and call the integration of offline stores with digital technologies the next stage in retail development. Others are more sceptical. In their opinion, the use of such solutions is a viable idea for implementation in the store. In addition, launching smart mirror fitting rooms, interactive screens and other technologies is quite an expensive and labor-intensive process.
In any case, the development of VR and AR in the past year is just the beginning.
3D technology
3D technologies will soon cease to be something unique and will be as commonplace as smartphones or computers. Already, food, clothing, shoes, sports equipment, car parts, musical instruments and even buildings are being printed on 3D printers.
For example, in Dubai using 3D printing technology. The area of the one-story building is about 250 square meters. m. There is everything you need: electricity, telecommunications, water supply, air conditioning system. We built an office using a giant printer in just 17 days. The office of the Dubai Future Foundation is located in the building.
3D technologies are indispensable in business. The largest companies, including Carrefour, Gap, Guess, Columbia Sportswear, Benetton, s.Oliver, in retail. The technology is used for optimal placement of goods on shelves, merchandising, and drawing up a strategy for working with the assortment in the store. Another direction is influencing the buyer, predicting his behavior to increase sales.
Internet of Things
According to analysts, by 2020, 26 billion “things” will be connected to the Internet. Everything - from household appliances to construction equipment, from cars to buildings - will transmit data and “communicate” with other objects or people. This means continuous measurement and recording of data.
The Internet of Things market is open, in demand and very promising. Thus, Intel Corporation changed its strategy; PCs were replaced by data centers and the Internet of Things. The Russian Foundation for the Development of Internet Initiatives decided to test solutions from startups in the field of IoT, and the Internet of Things Center began operating in Moscow.
The company already has devices for maintaining microclimate, implantable microchips, smart meters and smart mirrors, geolocation services for employees and cargo, smart home systems and cloud platforms for developers.
Image recognition
Technologies for recognizing faces, images, and call quality are becoming increasingly popular. Thus, Amazon acquired a photo recognition startup, and eBay bought a developer of image recognition and search technology. In Russia, recognition technologies are also popular, both in the banking sector and in retail.
Recently, the Bitrix24 company used neural networks and facial recognition to increase sales by launching face tracker and visit tracker tools. Russian developer VisionLabs this summer. The company offers solutions for banks and retail stores that allow them to identify and verify the faces of visitors. All this helps to counteract fraud, recognize loyal customers, and increase the speed of their service.
Robotics
Robotics is developing rapidly. IBM developed a robot lawyer, Amazon began using robots to work in warehouses and, thanks to this, reduced operating costs by 20%. Auchan will launch robots in hypermarkets that will help customers carry their purchases. And Adidas uses robots to sew sneakers.
In Russia, robots are actively used to consult clients and conduct marketing campaigns. Thus, the Promobot company is an autonomous, “living” robot with character. It is designed to work in crowded areas. The robot helps people with navigation, answers any questions, broadcasts promotional materials and remembers everyone with whom it had to communicate.
Another developer - Alfa Robotics - is a robotic self-service checkout ARC 70. The device communicates with visitors, remembers and recognizes faces, as well as types of goods by image. In addition to a set of standard functions (scanning and weighing goods, displaying information about purchases on an interactive display, paying for goods by bank cards and cash, printing a receipt and issuing change), the cash register stores and analyzes purchase history and makes individual promotional offers to customers.
Prepared by Anna Olenkova
Innovative technologies are unique solutions aimed at developing existing ones or creating fundamentally new types of production activities.
The rapidly changing world constantly poses new challenges for humanity, to solve which we will need no less rapidly developing technologies that seem like the epitome of science fiction.
You've already heard, because many of them have been on the scientific horizon for some time, but 2016 promises to be the year of a real breakthrough.
Significant developments, according to the Council on Emerging Technologies of the World Economic Forum.
Nanosensors and the Internet of Nanodevices
One of the most exciting areas at the moment is nanosensors that can circulate inside the human body or be embedded in structural materials. The ability to connect all these sensors to the Internet will have a huge impact on the future of medicine, architecture, agronomy, drug production and other fields of science.
New generation batteries
The main obstacle to the development of renewable energy sources is the mismatch between demand and production capabilities. Another problem is the impossibility of storing excess energy produced under ideal conditions for subsequent transmission to the network. New high-capacity batteries based on sodium, aluminum and zinc solve this problem and make it possible to build mini-grids that can provide a clean, reliable, 24-hour power source for an entire community.
Blockchain Decentralized Trust System
Blockchain, or transaction block chain, is the term known from the digital currency Bitcoin: a decentralized public network of transactions that is not owned or controlled by any one person or organization. With investments exceeding $1 billion in 2015 alone, the economic and social impact of blockchain has the potential to change the way global markets and governments interact.
2D materials
Graphene is perhaps the most well-known material consisting of a single atomic layer, but it is far from the only one. Thanks to sharply falling production costs, such materials could soon be used in a wide range of applications, from water and air filters to a new generation of clothing and batteries.
Self-driving cars
Although self-driving cars are not yet fully legalized in many countries, their enormous potential in various applications is leading to rapid development of key technology towards full autonomy.
Organs on a chip
Miniature—memory card-sized—models of human organs could revolutionize medical research and drug development by giving researchers the ability to observe biological mechanisms at work.
Photocells based on perovskite materials
The new materials have three advantages over traditional silicon solar cells: they are more efficient, easier to manufacture, and can be used almost anywhere.
Open AI ecosystems
Combined advances in natural language processing and social awareness algorithms, coupled with the unprecedented availability of data, will soon allow virtual assistants to help people with a wide range of tasks: from managing personal finances to advice on choosing a wardrobe, writes
Sam Kaplan
Strict requirements for high-definition images in VR games require the use of a powerful computer. For more than 40 million Sony PS4 owners, using PlayStation VR comes down to plug-and-play. Unlike cheap smartphone-based systems (think Google Cardboard), the headset provides Full HD resolution for each eye and a wide 100-degree field of view. For example, in the game Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One you can feel like an X-Wing pilot.
2. Anki Cozmo: the most intelligent pet robot
Anki
Scientists have long known that viruses can trigger the immune system to attack cancer, but it took some time to create a virus that would not affect our own organs. In late 2015, IMLYGIC became the first viral cancer drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. In a breakthrough in the fight against melanoma, a modified herpes virus is injected into the tumor, where it can trigger an immune response in response to the cancer.
17. NASA - “Juno”: a journey to the center of the gas giant
NASA
On July 4, Juno, an artificial satellite powered by solar panels, began orbiting the poles of Jupiter, flying at a distance of 4,200 km from the planet’s clouds. “No spacecraft has ever been this close to Jupiter, in the center of radiation belts with such a high magnetic field,” says project scientist Steve Levin. Shielded from this radiation by a titanium dome, Juno's scientific instruments, including a radiometer to study the atmosphere and a particle detector to measure the magnetic field, will allow scientists to peer beneath the clouds of the gas giant. Over the next year and a half of Juno observations, scientists will learn how much water is on Jupiter and whether the planet has a solid core. Thanks to this, we can learn how the solar system and the Earth were formed. This mission also produced the highest-quality images of Jupiter in history.
18. SpaceX – Falcon 9: rocket landing on an offshore platform
SpaceX
The ability to reuse a rocket's first stage, the part that would normally fall into the ocean, could cut launch costs by a factor of a hundred, according to boss Elon Musk. In April, after four unsuccessful attempts, a Falcon 9 rocket launched onto an unmanned ship. The key to success: more liquid oxygen propellant for increased thrust and a thrust-vectoring landing instead of the previous, less successful version using a parachute.
19. Facebook – Aquila: drone that distributes Internet
Facebook took another step toward its goal of universal internet access with a 96-minute test of a full-size drone in July.
The CES 2016 event is widely known all over the world. All the innovations in technology, electronics and gadgets of various kinds are presented here. This exhibition attracts thousands of people. Everyone should look at the amazing exhibits! All new products from global production leaders and progressive companies deserve attention. We've collected 25 of the most popular gadgets this year.
1. Rumors about fully flexible smartphones have long been in the news. LG has realized the vision of science fiction writers: an 18-inch OLED panel easily rolls up into a tube.
2. The EHANG passenger drone was also presented in Las Vegas. The ergonomics of the model impresses even non-professionals.
3. Grill from GOSUN. Powered by solar energy, heats up to 550 degrees in 15 minutes.
4. LG TV with a 2.57 mm screen. All electronics were transferred to the block stand.
5. A virtual reality headset was waiting for HTC lovers.
6. POWERUP presented an “origami” drone. The paper FPV drone is controlled via Wi-Fi and can be equipped with an augmented reality helmet.
7. LG smartphones on the Android platform from the K-line are budget multifunctional gadgets. A distinctive feature is a great camera.
8. Varia Vision from GARMIN is an augmented reality device for cycling enthusiasts. Displays an image on the glasses, presenting data on heart rate, pressure, and plotting a route. The demonstration can be seen in this YouTube video:
9. Arke 3D printer from MCOR. Creates colored paper models.
10. Manufacturer FLEYE created a spherical drone with hidden blades for the safety of others.
11. The new products at CES 2016 included a CASIO smart watch with insulation from moisture, temperature changes and pressure when diving to a depth of 50 meters.
12. NIMA from 6 Sensor Labs. Provides rapid testing for the presence of gluten in food.
13. Prototype from PANASONIC - the first Blu-ray player for 4K format.
14. The DIGITSTOLE brand presented “smart shoes” with Bluetooth, heating, a system for calculating steps and calories “burned” while walking.
15. A camera with 4K image from SONY is the first gadget of its kind available to the average consumer. The highest quality, the ability to shoot in dim light and record deep, realistic sound - that's what it's all about!
16. The CANON brand pleased us with 5 models from the PowerShot line. Innovations include additional functions, higher resolution, zoom, and color rendition.
17. Interactive Hyundai application for getting to know the car through a smartphone. Demonstrates the functions and capabilities of the machine.
18. Family Hub – a refrigerator with a 21.5-inch touch screen from SAMSUNG.
19. Automaker BMW demonstrated the AirTouch system for controlling car functions using gestures.
20. PC ROG GT51 from ASUS is a desktop gaming gadget that is small in size. The functionality and design are tailored to gamers: everything is aggressive, fast and powerful.
21. Personal Robot from ROBOTBASE - personal artificial intelligence. The robot recognizes faces, speech, performs a lot of functions and can move.
22. INTEL presented a mini-computer to the public. What's most interesting is that its size does not exceed a button. At the same time, the functionality is very diverse!
23. The exhibition review also included OSVR, a universal augmented reality helmet from RAZER. They promise to leave the software and hardware in the public domain.
24. The SONY Life Space UX line will clearly replace TVs, because this year it was replenished with a home mini-projector for displaying images on the wall.
25. RAZER Blade Stealth – an ultra-thin gaming laptop that will be available at an extremely low price.
This year's electronics exhibition was literally a science fiction writer's dream. The companies demonstrated both models ready for mass production and prototypes. These include tablets, mobile gadgets, and media players.
The automotive industry stood out separately. Various machines and their components were presented in abundance. Fundamentally new technologies also created excitement. In particular, hydrogen fuel cars. In general, among hundreds of exhibits it is difficult to single out a clear favorite! You can look at some of the things on the video from YouTube:
Behind modern technologies lies the future development of civilization. New devices, technologies and methods are all actively promoted now. Innovative models of the future are truly worthy of attention! Looking for equipment for yourself? Pay attention to the new products, the same cameras and household appliances. They are becoming more diversified and budget-friendly. Just like laptops, PCs, phones.
Please rate this post! Write in the comments your opinion about the results of the companies’ work and your favorite models. And be sure to share the innovations from CES 2016 with your friends! And also read about, which you can buy now in our online stores!
Learning and learning smart systems are one of the most controversial areas in the development of modern technologies. Artificial intelligence sounds cool, but what will superintelligence do if you give it freedom? Will he solve all people's problems or will he consider people themselves to be the problem?
Perhaps someday artificial intelligence will go crazy and destroy us all, but so far everything is going well. Neural networks are already successfully solving some of people’s everyday problems related to organization and selection.
Google uses neural networks for games, smart note sorting, creating playlists, improving translation quality, and other companies are following suit.
Neural networks have shown themselves to be excellent in the artistic processing of photos and videos, and Prisma even became the best Android application of 2016.
Reusable rockets
Elon Musk is a true genius of our time. The man who created PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX.
Each of Musk's endeavors deserves the title of the best technology in history created for the benefit of humanity, but this time we're focusing on rockets and space.
One of SpaceX's key goals is to create reliable, reusable launch vehicles that deliver cargo and then return to Earth intact, ready for refueling and the next flight.
This approach significantly reduces the cost of space transportation, and it is thanks to SpaceX that our descendants will build their new home on Mars.
Gigabit Internet from space
SpaceX is just a transportation system. Obviously, it was created to send something into space. What exactly? In addition to colonizing the Red Planet, Elon Musk wants to give humanity universal gigabit Internet.
With the help of SpaceX rockets, four and a half thousand satellites will be launched into orbit, that is, three times more than the total number of all operating satellites now. Together they will provide fast Internet to every square centimeter of the Earth.
Google and several other progressive giant companies immediately joined in financing the project.
What will happen to the greedy cellular operators and equally greedy wired Internet providers? What's the difference. What's more important is that we will all finally have affordable internet at unprecedented speeds.
Self-driving cars
Six years ago, the news about the creation of driverless cars seemed like another dubious idea from Google, and this year the first driverless taxis were launched. Whether drivers like it or not, driverless cars are the future, and it’s better for living people not to get behind the wheel at all. The robot does not drive drunk, does not fall asleep while driving, does not drive recklessly, is not in a hurry, and does not violate traffic rules.
Operating as a single system under the control of advanced AI, self-driving cars will completely change the way we think about transport and movement.
Alternative energy sources
Technologies for obtaining energy from water, wind and sunlight have been known for a long time, but right now we are seeing a rapid transition from theory to practice. All progressive countries of the world are actively working to ensure that alternative energy sources become the main, traditional ones. A complete cessation of burning oil, coal, gas products, and possibly also the energy of atomic decay, with a transition to 100% clean production.
A gigawatt solar power plant is being built in the United States, which is comparable to the reactor of a modern nuclear power plant. People are putting solar panels on their roofs. Affordable personal energy generators are being developed and put into production.
Self-lacing sneakers
A great invention doesn't have to be big, especially if it solves relevant, everyday problems. Are your shoelaces constantly coming undone? Don't want to tinker with the nodes yourself? Nike took a radical approach by creating self-lacing sneakers.
The Chinese offer their own version of smart sneakers: without self-lacing, but with connection to a smartphone and at a much more modest price.
Technological equipment is an extremely promising area of research that will make people's lives better. Imagine a smart jacket that is not afraid of fire and water, will dry itself if necessary and adjust the temperature based on human biometric data and environmental data.
Do you prefer traditional shoes without the technical bells and whistles? There are useful articles for you too.
Electronics that don't need to be charged
Absolutely all wearable electronic gadgets, even the smallest ones, require power. They, one way or another, need a tiny battery or battery, but that will soon change.
Researchers at the University of Washington have developed technology that can convert existing waves generated by Wi-Fi routers and similar ubiquitous technology into energy. The principle of operation is similar to sending signals by a mirror reflecting the light of the sun.
Obviously, the wave energy is not enough to operate powerful devices, but all kinds of smart watches, fitness bracelets, smart home sensors and even compact video cameras will soon be sold without a battery inside.
NFC, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and fingerprint payment
In the USA and some other countries, Apple Pay was recognized as one of the best technologies in 2014–2015, but the “Apple” payment system came to Russia only recently. Now iPhone and Apple Watch owners can use their gadgets to pay for goods and services, abandoning archaic pieces of paper and bank cards.
Samsung also presented its payment system. Samsung Pay differs from others in that it supports not only NFC, but also an imitation of a bank card with a magnetic strip. Such outdated terminals, unlike newer ones with NFC, are installed almost everywhere, which means that owners of Samsung smartphones will be able to pay for purchases in more places.
Contactless payment has been available to Android users and bank card holders with NFC for a long time, but the advent of more thoughtful, universal, unified, system-level integrated technologies will certainly contribute to further improvement and improvement of the shopping process using Android devices, as well as a more active implementation of NFC terminals in stores and retail chains.
However, paying using a smartphone or watch is already a thing of the past. The future of payments lies in fingerprint technology, which requires only a fingerprint. In Russia, such systems are currently being tested by Sberbank.
A virtual reality
VR is literally everywhere. Manufacturers of televisions, game consoles, computer components, smartphones, developers of operating systems, applications, gaming services - all are actively promoting the technology.
Virtual reality does provide a new level of sensation and maximum immersion, but its scope goes far beyond entertainment. You've probably seen the Russian Railways training program, which uses VR to recreate various situations on the railway and practice the actions of service personnel.
There is a high probability that in the near future we will study and work in systems that combine virtual and augmented reality, and concepts such as “monitor” and “screen” will be forgotten.
Superplants, genomic medicine and immune engineering
The term "GMO" has become one of the main horror stories for uneducated people around the world. The fear of the new and incomprehensible has given rise to hysteria on such a scale that in some countries, including Russia, the cultivation and breeding of genetically modified plants and animals has been banned, unless this is done for scientific purposes. “Non-GMO” labels appear on water bottles and salt packages.
But in normal states genetic engineering continues to develop. A technology called CRISPR makes it possible to modify the genomes of organisms, in particular plants, with unsurpassed precision, adding desired properties and eliminating unnecessary ones.
Creating perfect crops is, of course, wonderful, but what about the perfect person? Genetic engineering can treat diseases, including hereditary ones.
You probably know that the functioning of our immunity is ensured by T-cells, which find and destroy any nasty thing in the body. More precisely, almost any one. There are some things the immune system can't do, but properly modified T cells can destroy HIV, cancer and other diseases.
Remarkably, the T cells generated in this way are well controlled. They can “sleep” in the body and turn on on command - a special substance introduced into the body. To prevent random attacks on the body, they can be trained to attack only when two or more signs characteristic of cancer cells are detected at once.
Experiments on mice and human embryos have shown that genetic engineering has enormous potential, but there are also problems. In addition to improving technology, which requires time and money, science faces ignorance.
People are capable of demonstrating a complete lack of common sense. They easily believe in completely refuted quackery, such as, but they reject and demand to ban really working, proven, explained medical methods, such as.
We hope that in a year, when Lifehacker publishes a selection of the best technologies of 2017, the first on the list will be the found cure for stupidity.