Trends Identified
Digital fabrication including 3-D printing
Digital fabrication including 3-D printing
2019
Tech for good
McKinsey
New materials and biotech
New materials and biotech, which include advanced materials, such as new lightweight materials, and next-generation genomics.
2019
Tech for good
McKinsey
Clean tech
Clean tech, which primarily consists of renewable energy sources such as sun and wind energy, supported by devices for energy storage.
2019
Tech for good
McKinsey
AI
Software algorithms that are capable of performing tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation. AI is an “umbrella” concept that is made up of numerous sub fields such as machine learning, which focuses on the development of programs that can teach themselves to learn, understand, reason, plan, and act (i.e., become more “intelligent”) when exposed to new data in the right quantities.
2016
Tech breaktroughs megatrend
PWC
AR
Addition of information or visuals to the physical world, via a graphics and/or audio overlay, to improve the user experience for a task or a product. This “augmentation” of the real world is achieved via supplemental devices that render and display said information. AR is distinct from Virtual Reality (VR); the latter being designed and used to re-create reality within a confined experience.
2016
Tech breaktroughs megatrend
PWC
Blockchain
Distributed electronic ledger that uses software algorithms to record and confirm transactions with reliability and anonymity. The record of events is shared between many parties and information once entered cannot be altered, as the downstream chain reinforces upstream transactions.
2016
Tech breaktroughs megatrend
PWC
Drones
Air- or water-based devices and vehicles, for example Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), that fly or move without an on-board human pilot. Drones can operate autonomously (via on-board computers) on a predefined flight plan or be controlled remotely.
2016
Tech breaktroughs megatrend
PWC
IoT
Network of objects — devices, vehicles, etc. — embedded with sensors, software, network connectivity, and compute capability, that can collect and exchange data over the Internet. IoT enables devices to be connected and remotely monitored or controlled. The term IoT has come to represent any device that is now “connected” and accessible via a network connection.
2016
Tech breaktroughs megatrend
PWC
Robots
Electro-mechanical machines or virtual agents that automate, augment or assist human activities, autonomously or according to set instructions — often a computer program.
2016
Tech breaktroughs megatrend
PWC
VR
Computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or a complete environment, within a defined and contained space (unlike AR), that viewers can interact with in realistic ways. VR is intended to be an immersive experience and typically requires equipment, most commonly a helmet/headset.
2016
Tech breaktroughs megatrend
PWC