–by Blog Technology Correspondent Jordan King

Tired of driving in traffic? Weary of going to the post office to pick up a package? Do you wish you could sit court side to watch Steph shoot those waaayyy outside shots? Jordan says times they are a-changing. We’re in the middle of the technological revolution, a cyber renaissance. 

Technology makes our lives better in so many ways.  It allows us the get places quicker; it allows us to access information faster;  it lets us interact with the world in an entirely new way.  The near future will bring several game-changing technologies to the main stage.  Here are five technologies–already in development–that will change the way we live.

#5. Drones

The idea of a sky filled with drones may seem a little scary at first, but small drones (not the large ones often used in the military) could change the way we get stuff.  Drone delivery is going to be a reality in the very near future.  Amazon drones are already working; the only thing in the way is FCC regulation.  Most likely, within the next five years, drones will be approved for commercial use in our air space, and you’ll be able to receive a package in a matter of minutes or hours.

Drone deliveries will change the way we live because people will be able to receive things without leaving the house.  If there aren’t any stores nearby that sell what you need, you can get it.  If you needed something but are too busy to go out, you can get it. Imagine looking out your front window, and you see a drone approaching, closer and closer. The dog is barking crazily. The drone comes in for a landing, and you see suddenly the orange of the Amazon logo. Then you realize, it’s not your creepy neighbors or the NSA spying on you, it’s your order of New York Times best-selling books deposited at your doorstep.

 

#4.  Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality headsets immerse you in another world. Wearing VR headsets is like sitting right in front of a 4K HDTV but better; the picture surrounds you. Virtual Reality puts you IN the picture. In a Virtual Reality basketball game, you can sit court side, see Steph Curry make the game-winning basket, then you can turn around and see the reaction of the stands. Look up, and you see the score is tied on the JumboTron. Gaming, nature shows, movies, sports events are now more realistic than ever. 

Augmented Reality has been much less successful than Virtual Reality, but it could be even more useful.  Augmented Reality could be game-changing to education.  It will change the way students learn and their learning environment.  Students will be able to interact with problems in new ways, and teachers will be able to make learning environments more interactive and creative. The digital and physical world intertwine, and concepts come to life. For example, students can record themselves defining vocabulary words. Later, other students can access the Aurasma app to see their peers’ image pop up with a recorded definition. Educators call this a Word Wall. Imagine an avatar teaching you the latest Calculus theorem. One app, PhotoMath, allows a student to take a picture of a math problem, submit it, and PhotoMath will walk that student through the steps of solving the problem. Virtual teachers teach flesh-and-blood students. Here’s a video of it in action.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=TyXePLD54uU

 

#3.  Self-Driving Cars

Self-driving cars are already fully operational.  They’re legal in seven states and DC.  Self-driving cars will change the ridesharing industry.  Uber plans to start phasing out its human drivers with self-driving cars in the next decade.  Uber would be able to cut its fares in half after phasing out human drivers.  

Self-driving cars will change how we get around.  Car ownership will decrease drastically as people switch to the ease of ride-sharing services and expanded public transportation.

 

#2.  The Hyperloop

Transportation needs to be drastically improved.  How we get around is behind the times.  We have been getting around the same way for nearly 100 years.  That’s where the Hyperloop comes in.  The Hyperloop will allow people to travel at 800 miles per hour.  With the Hyperloop, you can travel from LA to San Francisco in half an hour.

The effects of the Hyperloop would be enormous.  People will be able to get places faster than ever before.  You would be able to live in LA and work in San Francisco.  You’ll be able to cheer on your grandchildren’s Little League game in Santa Barbara and still make your tee time for 9 holes back in the desert. Distance will become less and less an issue, and people will be more connected than ever.

 

#1. Artificial Intelligence

Without a doubt, the single technology that will impact people the most is artificial intelligence.  Every single item on this list relies on virtual intelligence to operate.  Artificial intelligence will soon be able to learn from itself and get smarter.  This is how self-driving cars are getting more accurate.  The more Tesla’s cars are driven by their owners, the smarter they get.  The more Amazon’s drones are used, the more efficient they become. Artificial intelligence is gathering data, refining data, learning. Technology may one day, be smarter than humans.  

      

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UBdrMTxsvs