Smart devices. It all started with the advent of smartphones, and now a whole host of wearable tech is entering the market, from smartglasses and smartbands to smartwatches. These gadgets are further supported by evermore sophisticated software and cloud-based systems. But where and when will it stop, and what impact will this technology have on our lives? Read on to find out what’s next in the world of smart.
Smart Business
We have already witnessed the enormous impact the smartphone has had on the business world, as well as for personal applications. In a short space of time it seemed, the days of business professionals relying on a Filofax to keep abreast of their busy schedules were over. The smartphone not only largely replaced those functions, but also allowed for extensive communication on the move, seamless integration and coordination across multiple platforms and with other colleagues, over the cloud for example.
The Apple Watch is now also fast becoming a disruptive innovation for businesses, beyond mere novelty value. Building on the success of smartphones, a study has shown that wearable technologies boost employee productivity by 8.5 percent. Such significant gains underline just some of the value that wearable tech can bring to businesses, with technology continuing to advance at breakneck speed.
Smart classrooms
With the help of cloud-based learning systems, supplemented by a range of devices from whiteboards to tablets, smart classrooms all around the world will be able to teach children in a way which is adapted to their individual needs. So instead of a class of 30 all being taught one way, we’ll see 30 children being taught as individuals enjoying the style of education which fits them best.
A visual learner who performs poorly in science classes, for example, will receive a lesson plan tailored to help them master biology at their own pace. These smart classrooms will follow the pupil throughout their education. So as the pupil who struggles with science and works to their allocated lesson plan continues along their learning curve, the smart classroom will preempt difficulties they’ll have with other topics, such as physics or chemistry.
What’s more, these smart classrooms can identify potential suitable careers for young students, and create bespoke coursework for a specific career. Even one that involves science if the pupil’s progression is so remarkable under the direction of the smart classroom.
Smart cities
As IBM predicts (video below), more sophisticated technology will even transform our cities. Cognitive systems will learn to recognize and understand what city dwellers need, what kind of things they prefer, what they do, and how they get from A to B. By harnessing this information, councils and city authorities can respond and react to help build cities that are tailored for their populations.
This can be achieved through cloud-based social feedback, crowdsourcing and predictive analytics, allowing us to shape our cities according to exactly what we want and need in order to not only to make urban life easier, but more enjoyable too. This will enable local governments to identify areas for improvement, and allocate resources to facilitate this improvement, faster than ever before.
For example, instead of bus services running to constant, fixed routines, monitoring systems which can predict congestion during rush hour, will be able to anticipate an increase in passengers and then dispatch more buses to accommodate them.
Many of these smart advancements are predicted to be working inside the next decade, or already underway. What’s certain though, is that a raft of new jobs and skills will be required in order to bring them to further their momentum and impact on our private and professional lives.
What is your take on the technologies mentioned in this article, and what other area of everyday life would you like to see get the smart treatment? Blogs? Cooking? Roads? Let us know and leave your comments below.
