Earlier this month, a set of lasers triggered the same reaction that powers the sun. This isn't all that the tech world has accomplished lately, either—2023 is going to display some absolutely fascinating trends in technology. Here are just a few:
Tech firms have been working on eVTOLs—electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. These would be able to rise from the ground vertically, like a helicopter, but their electric engines would produce far less noise and fewer emissions. These vehicles would be able to carry a handful of passengers over a short distance, potentially replacing helicopters.
One firm, Vertical Aerospace, sent an eVTOL up earlier this year. 2023 is going to be a very exciting time for them as they plan to stage a series of text flights. While their first test just involved hovering in one spot for about ten minutes, their next flights will test the rest of the vehicles' capabilities.
Vertical Aerospace isn't the only company working on this goal, either. Multiple firms are racing to be the first to put an eVTOL into regular use. IF all goes according to plan, we could be seeing these quieter, cheaper, and cleaner aircraft in regular use as soon as 2024.
While the Metaverse certainly has its downsides, immersive virtual environments are increasing in popularity and scope. What started as primarily a toy, virtual and mixed-reality experiences have become a valuable tool in the workplace.
In this context, virtual environments offer companies a way to develop, simulate, and optimize new or existing operations. For example, NVIDIA has developed an Omniverse platform that allows for the simulation of entire factories. This lets the user visualize things like traffic patterns and assembly lines. In a factory with complex multi-step processes and a lot of moving parts, the ability to simulate an entire operation and see how well things work is inestimably valuable.
Virtual reality may not be truly normalized as a social platform, but it's very likely to gain popularity in the business world.
Over time, cloud computing has come to suffer from a lot of the same problems as the Internet of Things. While both of these concepts were innovative, time- and labor-saving, and virtually limitless in the beginning, weaknesses have started to show as they became more popular. Devices didn't “talk” to each other very well, leading to redundancies, inefficiencies, and cyber security flaws. With cloud computing, the growing number of tools and platforms has created a complicated environment where things sometimes communicate, but more often don't.
According to Deloitte, about 85% of businesses are using two or more cloud platforms. About 25% are using at least five. In some cases, this is intentional. For many, it isn't.
One solution is the metacloud. This involves creating a layer of compatibility, which unites common cloud services and provides access to all of them in one area. This doesn't supersede the security of the cloud providers, either—it just provides a centralized, API-based way to access and control all of the cloud services that a business already uses. It's secure, convenient, and more efficient, and you can expect to see more services of this nature popping up in the years to come.
No matter where you live, there's probably a mobile “dead spot” near you. There are areas where you just can't get a decent signal, which can make it difficult (if not impossible) to make a call. This isn't even counting the very remote, rural areas of the world that don't have any kind of regular cellphone signal.
As an alternative, the world's biggest cellphone providers are working toward a technology that would allow users to connect directly to a satellite. This would fill in the gaps in the world's mobile coverage. This would be a major competitor for Starlink's satellite broadband service, since users of this service wouldn't need anything but their regular cellphones in order to connect.
Right now, there's just one test satellite in position. There are plans in the works to launch several more in the next year, for a total of 100 in 2024.
The tech world is continuing to evolve to better cater to the needs of individuals and businesses alike. From cleaner, quieter, cheaper aircraft to more useful virtual environments, streamlined cloud computing, and truly global cellphone coverage, there are going to be a lot of interesting tech developments coming up in 2023.
