2. A U TO N O M O U S O R
N E A R - A U TO N O M O U S
V E H IC LE S
This corresponds to vehicles that
can navigate and operate
autonomously or semi-
autonomously in many
situations, using advanced
sensors like LIDAR.
Some of these new users are
farmers, who early on spotted
that drones were a great way to
perform crop surveys and field
analysis.
Unlike satellites, which fly above
the clouds and are too expensive
to target on demand, farm
drones can automatically survey
crops every morning
3. A D V A N C E D R O B O TIC S
Advanced robotics
corresponds to increasingly
capable robots or robotic
tools, with enhanced
“senses,” dexterity, and
intelligence.
They can perform tasks once
thought too delicate or
uneconomical to automate.
These technologies can bring
amazing benefits to society,
including robotic surgical
systems that make
procedures less invasive and
robotic prosthetics.
4. N E X T G E N E R A TIO N
STO R A G E
Energy-storage devices or
physical systems store energy for
later use. These technologies,
such as lithium-ion batteries and
fuel cells.
Over the coming decade,
advancing energy-storage
technology could make electric
vehicles cost competitive, bring
electricity to remote areas of
developing countries, and
improve the efficiency of the
utility grid by power electric and
hybrid vehicles.
There are calculations that state
that 40 to 100 percent of vehicles
in 2025 can be electric or hybrid.
5. A D V A N C E D M A TE R IA L S
Materials that have superior characteristics such as better
strength and conductivity or enhanced functionality such as
memory or self healing capabilities, will bring various benefits to a
widespread of different industries through Disruptive Technology.
6. A U G M E N TE D R E A L ITY
Advances in display and audio technologies enable users to experience real and
imagined environments with ever-greater richness, whether in the form of virtual
reality goggles and earphones that provide immersive gaming experiences or
superimposed displays that augment the view out a car window.
The continued decline in price, size and power requirements for basic computing
components continue to spark revolutionary change in the world of sensory input.
7. H E A L TH A N D F ITN E SS
There are numerous new applications that collect, report, and respond to
information from a user’s own body - a trend that is sometimes referred to as “the
quantified self.”
These include devices for health and improved fitness training. There are separate
categories for seniors, people with disabilities, kids, and athletes - again using
much of the same technology