Technology is an important aspect of global change. Technology promises and provides solutions to major problems affecting various communities. However, technological solutions and advancements do not come without risks. They have in the past had issues that make it harder to adopt emerging technologies as a solution to problems without scrutiny to ensure the safety of the planet and the human race. Every year, experts from around the world, representing different communities come together in World Economic Forum that looks at the emerging technologies and the problems that they solve and the various risks involved. They then rank these technologies. By so doing, they raise the awareness of how different technologies contribute to life in a positive manner. Below are some of the top five technologies that came up in the year 2015 that could change the world in a great way.
1. Fuel Cell Vehicles
This is aimed at reducing the cost spent on fuel by cars. The technology is in the advanced stages, and many automotive companies are considering the production of the first fuel-cell vehicles. The initial cost is anticipated to be very high. However, this will change once the technology is tested and the companies engage in mass production. The cost of the first car is expected to be in the range of $70,000. The kind of batteries being used in this technology will be different from the usual one that needs to be recharged externally and take more, at least, six hours to recharge depending on the charger being used. The fuel-cell will be producing electricity internally. The process will involve the use of hydrogen and natural gas. The car will combine the use of both the fuel cells and the usual batteries. Batteries will be storing the energy produced by the fuel cells. The cells are also designed to provide regenerative braking, which makes it possible to recover energy that is lost as heat. The fuel to be used in this case is compressed hydrogen. Hydrogen is a clean fuel, and the only waste is water vapor. With zero emission, there will be reduced air pollution. Fuel-cell will provide efficiency. A tank of hydrogen can go for a distance of 650 kilometers. Producing hydrogen without pollution is easy. Energy from renewable sources like solar can be used to electrolyze water and give oxygen. Water can also be broken down by very high-temperature nuclear reactions. One major setback, however, is transporting the hydrogen so as to supply it to the filling stations and replace the present diesel filling station. Use of organic liquids can only transport it. These liquids, however, cannot be stored at high pressures because of some risks involved.
2. Next-Generations Robotics
Robotics is a technology that has been there for a very long time now. However, they have been used mainly in the production lines and are gigantic. The latest advancement in control chips has seen the reduction in the size of robots. It is anticipated that with continued improvement and especially on the side of control, robots will be used for many more activities. Robots are today used for repetitive tasks, especially that are dangerous to the human beings. This helps to reduce costs and exposing human beings to dangers. In Japan, new generation robots are used to provide assistance in the nursing sector. They help patients to climb and down the bed. They have also been used to help stroke patients with exercises to help them regain their nerves in limbs and legs. Check on line for the latest tech videos of robots in use.
3. Recyclable thermoset plastics
The major problem facing the world today is landfill as a result of non-recyclable materials. Thermoset plastics, unlike the common thermoplastics, cannot be recycled. Thermoset plastics cannot be recycled without losing their desired characteristics. They are thus used only once and then dumped. However, there is a science paper that claims that they can be recycled by being dipped in an acid that breaks the plastic to the various monomers compounds used to make it. These monomers can then be combined to form a thermoset plastic with the same characteristics as before. However, recycling can never be a 100% accurate. Some traits are lost. This is still being researched on.
4. Artificial Intelligence
This is a technology that is already in use. On security docket, biometric measures are already in place and use by different sectors. However, the main problem of replacing human with the intelligent machine is that they lack emotions. Today intelligent machine can respond to changes in the environment unlike the hardware used in the past.
5. Additive Manufacturing
This is a complete opposite of what is in use today. To manufacture today, you subtract materials from a raw one until you achieve an object of desired shape and size. Additive manufacturing will use digital templates to start creating an object from scratch. The raw materials will be loose like powder or liquids. They will be manufactured layer by layer and assembled to achieve a three-dimensional object matching the digital template. Gadget news about this technology claims that it will be possible to print things like shoes in the future.
Conclusion
Technology is an important aspect of life. Its aim is correcting the different problems that affect the community like pollution and depletion of the raw materials.
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