admin There is no denying that technology is on the rise and at tremendous speeds. The pace of change in the technology sector has always been brisk. As per McKinsey & Company, as much as 10 years’ worth of growth in e-commerce has been compressed into just three months in late 2019. They also predict that we’ll be experiencing far more technological progress in the coming decade than we did in the previous 100 years put together.
As our scientific knowledge advanced, and made new discoveries, we have been able to produce stuff and achieve things that were previously unthinkable. We may not be having flying cars, a common vision that was held by the previous generations, but what we do have is far greater and more science-fiction-esque. The world has truly transformed in every aspect. Communication has never been easier. Smartphones have become more powerful. Significant strides have been made in the robotics industry. We have watches that can keep track of your health and fitness levels. Our handheld devices are more powerful and far more capable than the room sized machines just 40 years ago. Truly, we are living in a futuristic world.
Ubiquitous Computing
Ubiquitous computing is a concept in software engineering, hardware engineering and computer science in which computing can appear out of anywhere and at any time. This is particularly different from desktop computing, which is bound by location, platform, format, etc. We are already in the ubiquitous computing age. We have smartphones, tablets, laptops. We even have terminals built in our everyday objects like refrigerators and eyeglasses. The underlying technologies to support ubiquitous computing include Internet, advanced middleware, operating system, mobile code, sensors, microprocessors, new I/O and user interfaces, computer networks, mobile protocols, location and positioning, and new materials.
This has been mainly possible due to the size of the hardware. As processing power increased, the size of computer microchips shrunk. As a result, computer devices have become smaller, lighter, more powerful and more ubiquitous. Looking ahead, the next big step in computing power will come with the advent of Quantum Computing; these computing devices will be able to harness the properties of quantum states and subatomic particles.
Artificial Intelligence
As opposed to natural intelligence, artificial intelligence is intelligence that is demonstrated by machines. Over the years, the meaning of the term AI has undergone changes. Earlier, it used to mean machines that mimic and display human cognitive skills such as “learning” and “problem-solving”. Now, AI is mainly described in terms of rationality and acting rationally, which does not limit how intelligence can be articulated.
AI has been a major part of the modern world. It has been integrated in every little thing that we do, and is inseparable from our daily lives. The simplest examples are web search engines like Google that use AI to determine which pages best correspond to your search query. Services like Amazon, YouTube, etc. employ AI to determine the likes and dislikes of customers and accordingly recommend their products and content. Recent years have also seen AI being embedded in cars, leading to development of self-driving cars. Virtual services like Siri and Alexa are able to understand human speeches. These are so useful that they are embedded in home automation systems. With countless languages and their countless dialects, it is truly a technological marvel that inanimate objects can understand and respond to humans.
Extended Reality
Extended Reality is an umbrella term that encompasses several immersive technologies like Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality. These terms are often mixed and used interchangeably. Here is a small attempt to separate them and explain what each does.
Virtual Reality: VR is a simulated reality. It is an environment that is generated by computers, full with scenes and objects as they would appear in normal world. This environment is perceived through Virtual Reality headset. VR is currently used by for the purposes of education, businesses and entertainment.
Augmented Reality: AR is an interactive experience, where objects in the real world are enhanced by computers. They can also make objects appear that are not there in the real world. Simply put, AR is a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interactions and precise 3D registration of virtual and real objects.
Mixed Reality: MR is the combination of real and virtual worlds. These two coincide to generate new environments and visualizations, where physical and digital objects coexist and interact in real time. This does not only take place in real or only in digital world; instead it takes place in a hybrid of Augmented and Virtual Reality.
XR has wide ranging applications, and though at the moment it is just the beginning, we are on the cusp of a boom in XR.
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