How to Prepare for This Trend
Finding practical takeaways and action points can be tough when you’re talking about heavy stuff like the very fabric of what makes us human! But there are practical steps your organization can take to benefit from what’s happening in wearable technology right now.
From the plethora of smart devices and smart clothing on the market, it’s clear that consumers are welcoming intelligent wearables that can deliver new insights and help them live healthier, better lives.
Therefore, if your company manufactures wearable products or devices, consider whether it’s possible to make those products smarter and deliver more value to your customers through intelligent insights. And from a service point of view, consider whether the wearables trend could help you offer more intelligent services. The insurance industry provides a great example of this, where customers with health or life insurance policies are rewarded for leading healthier, more active lives, by tracking their activity data through a smart watch or fitness tracker.
Notes
1 1 Here Are the First Hints of How Facebook Plans to Read Your Thoughts: https://gizmodo.com/here-are-the-first-hints-of-how-facebook-plans-to-read-1818624773
2 2 Elon Musk Isn’t the Only One Trying to Computerize Your Brain. Wired: www.wired.com/2017/03/elon-musks-neural-lace-really-look-like/
3 3 Apple Watch could add two years to your life, research suggests. The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/28/apple-watch-could-add-two-years-life-research-suggests/
4 4 Apple Watch 4 is Now An FDA Class 2 Medical Device. Forbes: www.forbes.com/sites/jeanbaptiste/2018/09/14/apple-watch-4-is-now-an-fda-class-2-medical-device-detects-falls-irregular-heart-rhythm/#30ff9a2d2071
5 5 Ford Adding EksoVest Exoskeletons to 15 Automotive Plants: www.therobotreport.com/ford-eksovest-exoskeletons-automotive/
6 6 Ottobock reaches for growth with industrial exoskeletons: https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-ottobock-exoskeletons-focus/ottobock-reaches-for-growth-with-industrial-exoskeletons-idUKKCN1LR0LI
7 7 MIT’s new robot takes orders from your muscles. Popular Science: www.popsci.com/mit-robot-senses-muscles/
8 8 This robotic tail gives humans key abilities that evolution took away: www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/robotic-tail-gives-humans-key-abilities-evolution-took-away-ncna1041431
9 9 Superhuman Vision: Bionic Lens. Medium: https://medium.com/@tinaphm7/superhuman-vision-bionic-lens-ad405fc42127
10 10 Samsung patents “smart” contact lenses that record video and let you control your phone just by blinking. The Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/08/06/samsung-patents-smart-contact-lenses-record-video-let-control/
11 11 Florida Man Becomes First Person to Live With Advanced Mind-Controlled Robotic Arm: https://futurism.com/mind-controlled-robotic-arm-johnny-matheny
12 12 Robotic Hand Restores Wearer’s Sense of Touch. Smithsonian: www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/robotic-hand-restores-wearers-sense-touch-180972737/
13 13 Artificial skin can sense 1000 times faster than human nerves. New Scientist: www.newscientist.com/article/2210293-artificial-skin-can-sense-1000-times-faster-than-human-nerves/
14 14 7 human organs we can grow in the lab: https://blog.sciencemuseum.org.uk/7-human-organs-we-can-grow-in-the-lab/
15 15 5 Most Promising 3D Printed Organs For Transplant: https://all3dp.com/2/5-most-promising-3d-printed-organs-for-transplant/
16 16 Facebook Takes First Steps in Creating Mind-Reading Technology: www.extremetech.com/extreme/296832-facebook-takes-first-steps-in-creating-mind-reading-technology
17 17 Elon Musk Announces Plans to “Merge” Human Brains With AI: www.vice.com/en_us/article/7xgnxd/elon-musk-announces-plan-to-merge-human-brains-with-ai
TREND 4 Big Data and Augmented Analytics
The One-Sentence Definition
In very simple terms, “big data” refers to the exponential explosion in the amount of data being generated in this increasingly digital age, while “augmented analytics” refers to the ability to automatically work with and generate insights from data.
What Is Big Data and Augmented Analytics?
Let’s start with the data itself, because data is critical to so many of the trends in this book, including artificial intelligence (AI, Trend 1), the Internet of Things (IoT, Trend 2), natural language processing (Trend 10), and facial recognition (Trend 12). Without data, the massive leaps we’ve seen in these trends – and many other technology trends – wouldn’t be possible.