A look back at some of the most exciting moments & innovations Tech Trends covered in 2018!

Cryptocurrency

Crypto is crashing – or so the experts say –  but it is not going away, so Tech Trends was excited to welcome on board our very own FinTech wizard Richard Andrews who kicked off his soon to be regular series last month.

Is Cryptocurrency on the verge of going mainstream?

Image by MichaelWuensch from Pixabay

During the bull run of 2017/18, coins could pump 50% on little more than a tweet of a conference announcement or a trivial code release. The principles of decentralisation and innovation were king and governments, financial services and regulation of any kind the public enemy of this bright new decentralised future. But after the parabolic rise of 2017 and the sharp sell-off of 2018 investor sentiment has reversed dramatically in the hope that these same institutions can restore their fortunes.

Hopes of greater institutional participation hinge on the Bitcoin ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) allowing institutional investors to participate in the market without the risks of holding Bitcoin directly
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Hopes of greater institutional participation have largely hinged on the prospect of a Bitcoin ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) which would allow private and institutional investors to participate in the market without the risks of holding Bitcoin directly. A good comparison is the well-established GLD ETF that provides exposure to gold without holding it under the mattress. However, this approach has so far proved disappointing due to rejections and delays by the US Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC). Read his full article here.

Mixed Reality

HoloLens subscription service spurring immersive tech adoption

Since the HoloLens was first released almost three years ago, Microsoft has steadily been building partnerships and demonstrating an array of industry use cases across manufacturing, engineering, healthcare, education and many others.

Rather than place users in a fully computer-generated world, as virtual reality does, HoloLens allows them to put 3D digital models in the room alongside them. As the Windows-10-based product does not have wires or external cameras or require a phone or PC connection, users can walk around the objects they create and interact with them using gestures, gaze and voice. This tends to make it well suited for onsite industrial applications.

While many large companies have adopted mixed reality and HoloLens applications, the $3,000 price tag of the device has been perceived as a barrier for adoption among smaller players
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Yet while many large companies have adopted mixed reality and enthusiastically evangelized about the efficiency gains that they achieved with HoloLens applications, the $3,000 price tag of the device has been perceived as a barrier for adoption among smaller players, who understandably aren’t sure that the ROI would be justified in onboarding the technology at this relatively early stage. Read the full article here.

Health Tech

Epilepsy consortium believes technology could save the NHS £250 million a year

Today, up to one in 100 people in the UK are believed to suffer from epilepsy, leading to three per cent of all Accident and Emergency visits and a total of 1.3 million days in hospital a year. It’s a challenging condition to manage, particularly as existing medication only works for up to 70 per cent of sufferers. Of those who do not respond to medication, most are not suitable for invasive surgery, leaving many to continue to experience unpredictable and potentially life-threatening seizures. New research by Public Health England (PHE) has found a 70% rise in the number of deaths of epilepsy patients between 2001 and 2014. PHE said there was a need to improve the clinical management of patients and make improvements to their wider health by tackling smoking, alcohol intake and poor diet.

The programme provides patients with wearable technology that records vital health data to help clinicians build a tailored record of a patient’s condition and seizure patterns
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This is what myCareCentric Epilepsy consortium – funded by Innovate UK and comprised of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Kent, System C & Graphnet Care Alliance and Shearwater Systems – is hoping to do by equipping people with the ability to self-manage their condition. Running on Microsoft’s cloud platform Azure, the programme provides patients with wearable technology that records vital health data to help clinicians build a tailored record of a patient’s condition and seizure patterns. It has the potential to learn to classify seizures; to alert clinicians and carers in real-time so they can consult patients remotely, and provide essential lifestyle recommendations and drug prescriptions. Read the full article here.

A Tragic Loss to Science

Stephen Hawking taught us about about life, the universe, and everything

I once met Professor Stephen Hawking as he was coming out of the elevator at the John Lewis store in Cambridge (UK – The original one), where we both lived at the time. And although I’ll admit this might be far from the most interesting Stephen Hawking story out there, it’s still one of my favourites. Being in his presence was an incredible feeling. I felt ridiculously honoured to have bumped into him in this ordinary shop.

Now, after his death, I feel much the same way about having had the honour of sharing the same time-space with him. In an age of fake news, President Trump and imminent Brexit, he was our steadfast voice of reason. Right to the end, he advocated for the things he felt passionate about, such as defending the National Health Service against the likes of Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt who – with a level of misguided arrogance I can’t begin to comprehend – actually chose to argue with him (with entirely predictable results).

In an age of fake news, President Trump and imminent Brexit, Professor Stephen Hawking was our steadfast voice of reason
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And all this he achieved with wit, wisdom, and a wicked sense of humour, which endeared him to millions around the world. When combined with the inspiring way in which he defied an illness that should have killed him and transcended the disability which left him only able to move a few muscles on his face, he is indeed a formidably inspirational figure. Read the full article here.

Virtual Reality

PokerStars brings online poker to a truly immersive social VR experience

Tech Extremes

Ninja tech skills can come in handy even onboard an Antarctic research ship

A research trip around the Antarctic gave a Software Engineer Carles Pina i Estany a new perspective on how the very product he helped build was being used by scientists. Aboard a research vessel thousands of miles from shore and the nearest reliable Internet connection, these modern explorers routinely relied on Mendeley to do their work, even in subzero temperatures.

A research trip around the Antarctic gave a Software Engineer Carles Pina i Estany a new perspective on how the very product he helped build was being used by scientists
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The opportunity to take part in this unique expedition came when Carles’ partner, Jen Thomas, was invited to become Data Manager on a research trip led by the newly created Swiss Polar Institute, which has a mission to connect researchers active in polar or extreme environments, promotes public awareness of these environments, and facilitates access to research facilities in those extreme environments. As they were short of an IT person and Carles was already on a sabbatical from his work at Elsevier – during which he had already planned to travel around the world – he seized the opportunity to fulfil a longstanding ambition to take part in a polar expedition. Read the full article here.

Ted Talks with Zebra

Accessible design in the age of Industry 4.0

Earlier this month Tech Trends attended our first TEDSalon in New York! Presented by Zebra Technologies and TED the session theme was ‘The Next Wave’ and focused on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is bringing a tsunami of change that will dramatically affect how we interact with and adapt to technology. The ways we choose to ride this wave will determine the shape of our future. Will we use this as an opportunity to solve our most pressing issues, or allow it to become a calamity that divides us? Hosted by TED’s Bryn Freedman, five speakers and one performer explored the tools and expertise we’ll harness to build the future

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is bringing a tsunami of change that will dramatically affect how we interact with and adapt to technology
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The evening included fascinating presentations from experts on the woeful state of America’s election systems and how technology can help, and how we need to change the way we learn if AI is part of the process. Zebra’s own design technologist James Morley-Smith took inspiration from how his disabled son Fintan learned piano starting with the black keys (the opposite of the traditional method) to guide his designs. In his work at Zebra, Morley-Smith designs for employees who are often in noisy, poorly lit industrial settings and clad in bulky protective gear. By following the black-keys tactic, he’s factoring in users’ limitations from the get-go, much like the idea of accessible product design championed by Microsoft at this year’s Build Conference. Read the full article here.

Sex Tech

Porn legend Ron Jeremy sees VR as the future of the adult industry 

Every 5 minutes, Pornhub transmits more data than the entire contents of the New York Public library’s 50 million books. Pornhub’s yearly review of trends reveals that in 2017 a total of 3,732 Petabytes of porn data was streamed, which makes for 7,101 GB per minutes and 118 GB per second.

In 2017 a total of 3,732 Petabytes of porn data was streamed, which makes for 7,101 GB per minutes and 118 GB per second
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And a man who significantly contributed to those gigantic volumes of traffic is Ron Jeremy, an AVN Hall of Famer with over 2,000 films under his belt. Jeremy is the Guinness Book of Records holder for Most Appearances in Adult Films and a big believer in VR Porn. So much so that he’s now put his money where his mouth is and launched RonJeremyVR, a premium service hosting VR films directed by the big man himself.

Every 5 minutes, Pornhub transmits more data than the entire contents of the New York Public library’s 50 million books
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So where are we in this new age of online VR thrills? According to the Pornhub Year in Review 2017 report:

“Virtual Reality Porn continues to gain in popularity, moving up 14 spots on the list from 2016. Cheerleaders came back with a bang, moving up 366 slots and into our top 20 searches of the year. VR devices were a popular holiday gift, and it seems that porn was one of the first things people wanted to try out with their new headsets. After the New Year, average daily views remained much higher than the pre-Christmas levels at around half a million per day.”

With the demand for streaming porn continuing to grow, this data suggests that Ron is indeed on to a real winner
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With the demand for streaming porn continuing to grow, this data suggests that Ron is indeed on to a real winner.  Read the full chat with Ron here.

Internet of Things

IoT and the connected home have yet to fulfil their promise

IFA this year was much like previous years, hundreds of companies screaming from the rooftops about minimally iterative products. A few more pixels, a bit bigger screen, a bit faster processor and everything a bit thinner, oh and crap Robots. I love tech and love my gadgets and can geek out with the best of them but I attended IFA this time looking for more meaningful innovation than a bit better camera on an $800 smartphone. I am happy to report that I found it, but not where you might expect.

A decade ago the invention of the smartphone changed our lives but truly new products like this are few and far between, so every year companies try to reinvent what we already have through minor upgrades and tweaks. We are stuck in a loop where the market is slowly evolving but no real innovation is going on, and the largest companies in the world are all guilty of this lack of effort to progress, so we must start looking off the beaten track for those that are truly working to innovate.

The largest companies in the world are all guilty of this lack of effort to progress so we must start looking off the beaten track for innovation
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Thought sustainably producing high-quality, smart and connected home products @Beko can democratise technology
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IoT and the connected home has been much discussed and I have seen some interesting concepts and even a few eyebrow-raising products but it is not yet in our homes, changing the way we live, and judging from the hundreds of pathetic, unimaginative and almost useless ‘innovative IoT products’ on display at IFA 2018, it’s not going to happen any time soon. But Turkish behemoth Beko, makers of reasonably priced kitchen appliances, held a press conference to announce their technology strategy and issued a white paper on the future of technology in the home and impressed me with their assessment of how new, innovative technologies in our kitchens can improve our lives and can do it affordably and in the not-too-distant future. Read the full article here.

Well, it’s been a very exciting year for technology, and we’re off to play with our gadgets, but be sure to check back with us right after Christmas as we boldly go where no one has gone before in 2019…

Merry Christmas from TECH TRENDS!

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post A Year in Tech: 2018 Recap appeared first on Tech Trends.

IoT and the connected home have yet to become a reality for most but at IFA 2018  appliance maker Beko led the way.

IFA this year was much like previous years, hundreds of companies screaming from the rooftops about minimally iterative products. A few more pixels, a bit bigger screen, a bit faster processor and everything a bit thinner, oh and crap Robots. I love tech and love my gadgets and can geek out with the best of them but I attended IFA this time looking for more meaningful innovation than a bit better camera on an $800 smartphone. I am happy to report that I found it, but not where you might expect.

A decade ago the invention of the smartphone changed our lives but truly new products like this are few and far between, so every year companies try to reinvent what we already have through minor upgrades and tweaks. We are stuck in a loop where the market is slowly evolving but no real innovation is going on, and the largest companies in the world are all guilty of this lack of effort to progress, so we must start looking off the beaten track for those that are truly working to innovate.

The largest companies in the world are all guilty of this lack of effort to progress so we must start looking off the beaten track for companies that are working to innovate in new and meaningful areas
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Thought sustainably producing high-quality, smart and connected home products we @Beko can democratise technology, creative value and play our part in society. Hakan Bulgurlu explained
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IoT and the connected home has been much discussed and I have seen some interesting concepts and even a few eyebrow-raising products but it is not yet in our homes, changing the way we live, and judging from the hundreds of pathetic, unimaginative and almost useless ‘innovative IoT products’ on display at IFA 2018, it’s not going to happen any time soon. But Turkish behemoth Beko, makers of reasonably priced kitchen appliances, held a press conference to announce their technology strategy and issued a white paper on the future of technology in the home and impressed me with their assessment of how new, innovative technologies in our kitchens can improve our lives and can do it affordably and in the not too distant future. These innovations might still be ahead but the way they talked about how their technologically enhanced appliances will improve our lives and address fundamental human problems in the 21st century was far more convincing than most of the pitches I head in Berlin.

“We know that the consumer landscape is transforming and as a business, we are at a pivotal point, we see the coming decades as an opportunity to embrace change and be an agile innovator. Thought sustainably producing high-quality, smart and connected home products we can democratise technology, creative value and play our part in society.” Parent company of Beko, Arcelik CEO Hakan Bulgurlu explained.

By 2030 two thirds of the global middle class will be living in Asia and as people’s income increases they buy their first washing machine or refrigerator. These technologies are a game-changer in people’s lives
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The white paper, available here, outlines significant and practical improvements to human lives that affordable home appliances have made. It goes on to make the case for how developing these appliances with new technology will further revolutionise the way people live and improve their family’s health. This is innovation making a real difference to people, not just a few more pixels on a high-end TV that only a few can afford.

“By 2030 two thirds of the global middle class will be living in Asia and as people’s income increases they buy their first washing machine or refrigerator. These technologies are a game-changer in people’s lives. Why? because they free up time, especially the time of those traditionally restricted to domestic work, to do more productive work. As product innovation continues and future technologies are developed the impact on peoples lives will be even greater.” Continued Hakan.

Health is a specific area home appliances can help with, and boy do we need to help out people with this issue. According to Deloitte’s Global Health and Wellness report more people are now interested in exercise and healthy living yet UNICEF figures show that 6% of pre-school and 14% of primary school aged children are overweight or obese, and that alarmingly rises to 33% by adolescence. While there are many bodies tackling this issue (mine included!), Beko believes manufacturers can play a key role in addressing the problem through innovation in the home, improving lives through technology.

“Through innovation, home appliance makers can make a valuable contribution by responding with more compact, multi-functional appliances that free up time and aid faster and better food consumption. New tech such as image recognition, AR and AI can also be harnessed to provide practical and fun ways to make healthy living more exciting while keeping cost down.” Author of the report Ian Pearson enthused. “Home appliance makers can use their innovations to enable and encourage healthy eating and lifestyles and especially to empower parents to help their children live healthier lives. Now is the time for brands to take action and show their commitment to supporting the cause.”

UNICEF figures show that 6% of pre-school and 14% of primary school aged children are overweight or obese, rising to 33% by adolescence
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To support their push into healthy living Beko have partnered with FC Barcelona and launched Eat Like a Pro, a global initiative to help parents feed their children nourishing meals. By showing children what their football heroes eat, Beko aims to make healthy eating exciting. So far the initiative has raised 1 million Euros for UNICEF’s work tackling childhood obesity and Beko commits to provide a range of appliances featuring smart tech to better deliver healthy food for families and make cooking fun!

@Beko commits to provide a range of appliances featuring smart tech to better deliver healthy food for families and make cooking fun!
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An appliance such as a cooker will incorporate AR & AI technology and evolve beyond just a white box that provides focused, controlled heat on demand to become a healthy eating advisor and cooking buddy
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So how does Beko see new technology merging with traditional appliances in homes around the globe? Renowned Futurist and lead author of the white paper, Ian Pearson got quite excited when we sat down with Hakan Bulgurlu after the presser. The way Ian describes it, an appliance such as a cooker will incorporate AR & AI technology and evolve beyond just a white box that provides focused, controlled heat on demand to become a healthy eating advisor and cooking buddy, not just a cooker. He describes how companies need to use new technologies to make their products work for the customer in new and actively life-improving ways and this means fundamentally rethinking the function of the product and its role in customers’ lives.

To support their push into healthy living Beko have partnered with FC Barcelona and launched Eat Like a Pro, a global initiative to help parents feed their children nourishing meals
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AR will have a huge impact on family life making it easier to persuade children to eat healthy foods by making them visually exciting allowing them to have their football heroes there, cooking with them
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The kitchen of the future Ian describes has AR overlays and games especially suited to engaging children and young people who will quickly become adept at using AR in every area of their lives. AR is also used for real-time recipes and cooking guidance, even overlaying 3D images of an assistant chef friend, football star or AI.

“AR will have a huge impact on family life, including making it easier to persuade children to eat healthy foods by making them visually exciting, and allowing them to have their football heroes there, cooking and eating with them. AI and IoT will be essential to most families and will be a foundation for making everything else better. Day-to-day life, as we know it, could be unrecognisable as soon as 2050.” Ian explained.

Our role @Beko is to develop products which can bear some of the burdens of increasingly hectic consumers’ lives
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We all know most children respond to targets and rewards and in the future kitchen these can be linked to calorie intake, vitamins, sugars and so on and having a personal hero like Messi praise them or give them awards is a proven and well-founded part of the Eat Like a Pro initiative so expanding this into AR and AI sounds exciting.

“The convergence of technology and science is radically transforming the white goods space and we are witnessing exciting changes. At Beko, we are about bringing these latest innovations to the masses and not the few. This goes to the heart of our business. We’re focused on the new generation of families from across the world who are tech-savvy and health conscious.” Hakan commented. “Our role is to develop products which can bear some of the burdens of increasingly hectic consumers’ lives. Take the Beko AquaTechTM washing machine for example which offers smarter and fast programs with an up to fifty percent faster cycle, giving working families some much needed time back.”

It is so refreshing to see a company like Beko realising that real innovation in their sector is not a scary hindrance to growth but a necessity and an exciting opportunity. In my experience, large companies are often slow to realise that they are actually years behind customer demand and that they need to change and update their products to fulfil their new needs. Chatting to Hakan and Ian it was clear Beko gets it and that keeping technology affordable opens up new markets where innovation has previously been slow.

“The best features have previously been reserved for the high, premium brands, but it doesn’t need to be that way,” Hakan believes. “If I am bringing you a product that improves your quality of life at a price you can afford, that’s great! If we can address those customer’s needs, if we can adapt your product with technologies that are relevant to how they want to use the product, then we win.”

If I am bringing you a product that improves your quality of life at a price you can afford, that’s great! - Hakan Bulgurlu
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It is so refreshing to see a company like @Beko realising that real #innovation in their sector is not a scary hindrance to growth but a necessity and an exciting opportunity
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“Technology is making our lives richer and easier, which will continue to accelerate for a long time yet. If we get it right, it can free up time and give us more control of our lives which in turn will allow us to spend our time in more meaningful ways.” Dr Ian Pearson has concluded.

I for one, can’t wait to see these technologies in my kitchen and will keep you all posted on how companies like Beko are bringing these innovations to market. I would love to see more respected brands grasp the opportunities tech offers because the market is already there and demanding innovation and if you miss that point and fail to evolve you will be left far behind.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Innovation is Coming Home! appeared first on Tech Trends.