A decade in review has presented a lot of ups and downs. One thing remains consistent is that we must look forward and remain positive even in the down days. The mindset and frame of mind provides mental equity in which how we see the world and move through the challenges of everyday. How can we predict future trends by identifying patterns and convergence of technology that will propel into 2021.
2010
IBM Watson is when Artificial Intelligence went mainstream. Space tourism takes off from Virgin Galactic towards the first captive carry flight. The idea of automobile ownership changed with car2go and car-sharing as a service. Apple launched the first iPad shaping how we interact with a new surface a part from our phones and laptops.
2011
4G networks rolled out across the United States which enabled platforms like Uber, Spotify, Google Maps and much more to exist. Mars Curiosity Rover landed successfully exploring what is possible on life on Mars and today is analyzing land samples that will be reported back in early 2021. Mobile internet and cloud computing are widely adopted Google+. A Malaria Vaccine candidate was developed by Glaxo-SmithKline and started to trials that showed success cutting the chances of contraction by 50%. Adobe Creative Cloud is announced. Siri is introduced as a built-in feature to the Apple iPhone 4S smartphone.
2012
IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) launches which replaced the previous decade old standard of allocating IP address on the internet. IPv6 is a network layer protocol that allows communication and data transfers to take place over the network. It uses 128 bits as opposed to 32 bits in IPv4. Dropbox is birthed and named start up of the year. Facebook acquires Instagram. Oculus VR is developed as well as Tesla Model S release this year. Raspberry Pi, a credit card size single board computer is released as a tool to promote science education.
2013
Nvidia G-Sync reduced screen shuttering for monitors which eases our use on our monitors as this year provided the release of gaming consoles Playstation 4 and X-Box One. Jeff Bezos buys the Washington Post. Twitter went public. Google removed Reader from the G Suite. Design goes flat and loses all the gradients. Google Chrome was born this year as a dominant web browser that did need high-end or customized hardware to work well. The release of Microsoft Office 365 is released. The Centre for Humane Technology is founded.
2014
USB-C became the universal charging port for all computing devices for both data and power using a single cable. 3D printing became widely adopted for manufacturing products, classroom utility, and even 3D printed tissues for human organs. Google acquires DeepMind. Apple pay is released. HTML 5 is announced since HTML 4 which had originally had become the standard for web mark up languages since 1997.
2015
Wearable technology became widely adopted with the release of Apple Watch. Google split into two companies. The new company known as Alphabet is responsible for Sidewalk Labs, Google Ventures, Nest, Google, Capital, Fiber, Calico and Google X. Facebook released React Native an open source Java Script framework for developing mobile apps on Android and iOS. Starlink, a satelite-based internet network was first announced providing internet to locations that have been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable.
2016
Google Assistant becomes the most powerful AI voice assistant. Pokemon Go becomes a phenomena bridging our world view between physical and digital game play. Self-driving autopilot begins to make an appearance as we see in Tesla models. VR makes a big introduction into the market yet doesn’t hit the mainstream yet. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were passed and implemented.
2017
NASA Mars InSight Mission sent to study the planet’s thermal history as well as geological temperature compared to Curiosity. GreenWave develops Vertical Ocean Farming. The rise of cryptocurrency and the bullrun of Bitcoin. Augmented reality and IKEA make a hit when customers could virtually place furniture in their homes before purchasing. Smart speakers made their first introduction with the Amazon Echo, Google Home and HomePod.
2018
Net Power develops technology to produce clean energy from natural gas that delivers carbon-free energy from fossil fuel at a cheaper cost. 3-D Metal Printing, Artificial Embryos, and artificial intelligence begins to see the power of interconnectedness within our cities and neural engines. 5G is being discussed as the new internet to provide the infrastructure in the technology jump. Electric scooters made an appearance in cities as a new form of transportation as a service. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) was passed in the European Union as a user-centric data privacy law dictating what companies can and cannot do with the information shared with them. The pursuit of ethical technology persists and we start taking screen time seriously.
2019
As we get closer to 2020 we see a massive technological advancement in machine learning shaping AI. The call for a new internet, 5G. Digital Twins which means the idea of extracting data and sensors to provide that hosts a close reality simulation to test different methods of production and manufacturing. Reshaping Nuclear Power as a sustainable energy called TerraPower founded by Bill Gates in 2006 surfaces. Blockchain is widely adopted again in the ability to create a trusted internet.
2020
The pandemic hit hard and effected the economy and everyday life. Lockdowns and social distancing were in affect while the wide adoption of remote work and remote learning is now45 the new normal. The pandemic provided technological innovation in which how we are meeting online rethinking how we conduct meetings on Zoom. Companies like Bramble are challenging the online learning space and the digital environments which shape our communications and interactions. Technologies in the pharmaceutical space have changed we deal with viruses. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is a “mRNA vaccine that teaches our cells how to make a protein that will trigger an immune response without using the live virus that causes COVID-19. Once triggered, our body then makes antibodies. These antibodies help us fight the infection if the real virus does enter our body in the future.” This also shines a light on CRISPR the company that is able to edit genes as well as the Human Genome Project where one application for this is creating customized cancer vaccines.