Top 5 Technology Trends to Watch in 2022
PAW Patrol is a favourite cartoon show of many youngsters and if there’s a child (or young-at-heart adult) in your life who watches the show, you might be familiar with Robo-Dog. He’s a robotic dog that’s social, quite obedient and drives a lot of the PAW vehicles. If Amazon has its way, its new Astra general-purpose home robot might just be the most similar real-life version of Robo-Dog developed for consumers to date, without the ability to drive mind you.
Think of Astra as Alexa on wheels that come when called, provides roving security and develops a personality. It’s not for everyone’s household for sure, but those who want robotic companionship and like to have the latest and greatest gadgets, will likely want to scale up from a Roomba! Consumer home robots will continue to evolve and begin to do small tasks beyond vacuuming, or providing virtual assistance to health monitoring, additional cleaning chores and more.
Robotics training is a growing field as the world of artificial intelligence goes mainstream in a big way. It’s no longer the realm of sci-fi movies or manufacturing floors. We’re now going to start seeing more robotics incorporated into the household environment.
An increase in consumer-based robots is the first of our five technology trends to watch for 2022. Here are four more:
1 – Smarter smart products
Amazon and those who have earned AWS certification are part of the force that is continuing to teach the rest of us more ways our homes can be integrated. It wasn’t that long ago that having a smart TV was completely unheard of. Now, we talk to digital assistants to turn on the lights, drop the blinds and change the heat. People with Microsoft Azure certification are also part of the mix delivering this new age of devices with their knowledge of cloud-based technology and tools.
2 – Gaming that moves beyond games
Virtual reality will continue to evolve and move past video games into broader environments. Headsets that allow people to “travel” through sight, touch, smell and sound are being merged with the work of those who have taken storytelling training to provide immersive experiences. Not only does this make travel accessible to those who may not be able to afford it, but it also allows for the experience during travel restricted times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Imagine a senior who couldn’t manage the full walk being able to experience the Great Wall or seeing polar bears without the risk of attack.
Additionally, immersive experiences have already begun being used as training devices and retraining tools for those with physical impairments.
3 – Cryptocurrency
While we don’t all buy it or use it, there’s no denying that cryptocurrency is going to stick around. Those who have Python certification will find jobs in many industries, but this is one of the most rapidly evolving for a programmer looking to get involved in finance. Because of its relative difficulty to trace, people who want anonymity with what they use their money for will continue to be drawn to this type of financial exchange and keep pushing it towards normal finance.
4 – Expanded internet
For many of us, not having internet access is like not having running water. For people living and working in rural areas, it’s part of life. Thanks to new government infrastructure programs, many regions where the internet has been spotty at best will start to see improvement to level the playing field and truly allow all people access.
Watching technology progress can be like watching a fast train going by. Just when we think we know what it is, it’s already gone. Keep an eye on these trends to stay up to speed on what’s happening in the world of tech in the coming year.
