5 Technology Trends accelerated by Covid 2020
It’s been quite a year to say the very least. Covid has impacted on every aspect of life including the technology we use. Here are 5 technology trends from the latter part of 2020 which have been accelerated by the pandemic.
Wearable technology is seeing very fast growth perhaps because we are all more conscious of our health. It covers smartwatches and fitness trackers, which can even tell us if we are washing our hands for 20 seconds, as well as VR headsets and AR smart glasses.
Micro-moments. These are not a piece of technology but a behaviour that has been created by the technology we carry around with us. Micro-moments happen when we turn to our phones, or other devices to look up something on the spot often to make a purchase. It means businesses ensuring they can provide instant answers to these online queries. Can someone see your office open hours straight away or if you have a free table at your restaurant?
Continuing with online shopping, after all it is an area most changed by Covid, another innovation is Shopstreaming. This is where a shop live streams items for purchase. There’s often a chat function included to allow browsers to interact with staff who are actually in the store on your screen or maybe watch influencers shop or demonstrate a product making it a more social event that straightforward online purchasing which hopefully leads to more sales.
Digital twins. The creation of a virtual model of a process, product or service that can be tested and analyzed in the virtual world in order to discover and fix issues before it is used in the real world. It is a process that has been used by Nasa for many years but is now being taken up by many businesses as the technology becomes more affordable and accessible.
3D and 4D printing. 3D technology allows the printing of many different designs and materials by the same printer which can then be made in place very quickly. During the current pandemic it has been used to fill gaps when products have been delayed. 4D printing, although still mainly in the research stage, allows for a static 3D structure to transform itself into one that can alter and move. A code is added during the printing process that will tell the shape how to react to certain environmental factors such as water or heat. Water pipes that can close or open depending on the heat of the water have already been created at University of Wollongong in Australia with the hope it can be put to medical use.
