In February, the MIT Technology Review published their list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2015. Recently they released their follow up list, detailing how those technologies have advanced since then.
Some computing-related highlights include:
- Car-to-car Communication: Car-to-car communication technology allows cars to broadcast their position, speed, brake status and other data to vehicles nearby them, which can help drives navigate more safely. Soon this technology will be widely available with Mercedes-Benz confirming that its 2017 E-Class models will feature the technology and General Motors will reportedly have the technology in its 2017 Cadillac CTS.
- Project Loon: Project Loon is a project developed by Google X (now run by Alphabet, Google’s parent company), which uses stratospheric balloons to provide Internet access to rural areas. Alphabet has partnered with some of Indonesia’s largest telecommunications companies and will begin a series of trials in Indonesia this year, which include providing high-speed wireless Internet service to smartphones and other devices.
- Internet of DNA: Using the Internet to search through DNA is a potentially life-saving medical advance that allows users to hunt for the genetic mistakes that lead to both rare and common diseases by comparing a patients DNA with others from around the world. The Beacon Network and Matchmaker Exchange are two such systems currently operating. In October, doctors in Calgary, Canada and Baltimore, Maryland reported that by comparing two boys’ genomic sequence in an online tool they were able to uncover the exact mutation.
- Magic Leap: Magic Leap is a virtual reality startup developing a headset that allows you to see 3-D objects blended into the real world. Unlink Oculus Rift, which uses stereoscopic 3-D to put you in a virtual world, Magic Leap shines light into your eye from a small projector, which allows you to see virtual images in your real environment, as though they were a hologram. Microsoft is also working on a similar device called the HoloLens that is scheduled for a limited release early next year.
To see the full of the breakthrough technologies of 2015, visit the webpage here.
