The Latest Trends Of Technology

In this short piece, Paul Leary takes a look at some predictions and trends that will be useful in the coming year in the field of technology and manufacturing.
1. The Internet of Things (IoT) global product and service market will see more than 19% compounded growth rate from the year 2013 to 2019. The worth of the sector will cross the 5600 Billion Dollar mark by next year. At present, there are almost 5 billion devices that IoT enabled. In the next few years, the number will jump to 25 billion.
2. There are constant development and integration of Smart Factories, and integrated European priorities are aligning with Industry 4.0.
3. The three most crucial advanced manufacturing technologies include predictive analytics, smart, connected products (IoT) and advanced materials. To drive competition in manufacturing, US executives believe that Predictive data analytics will be crucial.
4. The one country that is working hard to close the gap with America is China. It has prioritized predictive analytics and is working on gaining a competitive edge by utilizing High-Performance Computing (HPC).
These are the four trends, factors, and technologies that are going to shape the future of manufacturing first in the USA and then globally.

Technologies Affecting Manufacturing To A Lesser Degree

There are some advancements in technology that affect manufacturing immensely while others touch it only peripherally. Today we take a look at two innovations that will change the manufacturing industry to a lesser degree.
• In the coming years, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced robotics are going to advance in leaps and bounds. A 500% growth rate is predicted to take place in the field. Since machine learning and robotics are used in manufacturing technologies, AI is standing to inherit a significant portion of the development.
• The second trend that is going to alter manufacturing is the changes in the material used. Scientists, researchers, and manufacturers have been working for decades on creating new alloys and metals. These inventions have taken fruit and created products that can withstand:
o harsh weather conditions
o function in inhospitable settings
o provide an equal level of protection at a fraction of the weight
Furthermore, the properties of these new materials have given manufacturers a massive amount of data to look through. Selecting which substance needs to be used is going to change due to this collective information. Companies will need to sift through the data to pick material for every individual product.

The Current Status Of Next Gen Research In US

It is a known fact that ever since World War II ended, United States of America has the held the top position in terms of biomedical research. The System in the US is preeminent globally. It has given birth to medical advances that have revolutionised the sector. It has even facilitated the growth of dynamic and innovative business which has resulted in creating high-quality jobs all over the country. The consequence of these professions has been a spur in economic output of America and an increase in the export economy.
When measured in specific terms, US remains the worldwide leader of science and technology. Some of these factors include:
• Funding Level
• Number of Scientists Supported
• Discoveries Made
• Awards Received
• Industries Supported
• Impact on the Quality of Health
While the measurement of these aspects keeps United State at the top rank when it comes to activities related to STEM the global share of US is decreasing. The decline has been happening over the course of a few years because of several core challenges. It is augmented by the rise of other countries like China. The fear is that, if the current decline continues, US will lose its hold, vitality, promise, and productivity.

British Council’s Next Generation Program

The British Council started the Next Gen Program to cultivate the voice of the youth and commit to their choices. It began in 2009 in Pakistan and since then expanded to other nations. The program puts at its core research that explores the path of the youth. Through its research projects, the program takes a look at the views and opinions of young adults on topics like:
• Education
• Employment
• Lifestyle
They are meant to discover the hopes and fears youth have about their country, how they view the broader world and how much interaction they have at an international level. It even touches upon the values and beliefs of the people.
There are three main objectives of the Next Generation Programme:
1. Intensify youth voice
2. Aid better youth policy-making
3. Comprehend youth attitudes and aspirations
The program was created by the British Council because they believe that the next generation is the coming leaders who will shape their individual countries. They are the influencers of tomorrow, and by listening to them and engaging them, a better future can be created. It is vital to support the youth so that they transform to be creative, fulfilled and active citizens who work towards progressing the world.

The Miracle Of Nano Technology

2 decades of fundamental nanoscience research and 15 years of focused research and development have ultimately delivered results that surprising and predictable. Nanotechnology is finally helping in transforming many industrial fields including:
• information technology
• homeland security
• medicine
• transportation
• energy
• food safety
• environmental science
One example of the miracle of nanotechnology is material. The science has given humans the ability to tailor the structure of any substance at a minuscule level. Such tailoring achieves unique properties that turn the material:
• stronger
• lighter
• more durable
• more reactive
• more sieve-like
• better electrical conductors
Technology can be used to incorporate any one of these qualities in an element or a combination of them. These are not the only traits that can be introduced to materials; there are many others.
A real-life application of nanoscale material is the film that is used on computers, cameras, windows, eyeglasses, and other surfaces to turn them:
• Water- Repellent
• Residue-Repellent
• Anti-reflective
• Self-Cleaning
• Resistant to Ultraviolet
• Infrared Light Resistant
• Anti-fog
• Antimicrobial
• Scratch-Resistant
• Electrically Conductive
Films on glass surfaces are just one example of the many everyday products that have been benefiting from nanotechnology. Another is a smart fabric that can monitor heart rate and harvest energy while being washable and extremely durable.

Understanding Microtechnology At A Basic Level

It was Richard Feynman, a Noble Prize winner for physics that first introduced the concept of nanotechnology. He explained the potential of the field in a lecture that he gave in 1959 called Plenty of Room at the Bottom. He presented the address to the American Physical Society. Today, with advancements in the field that defy understanding, most of his theories have been brought to life in varying industries.
In this short write-up, we understand what microtechnology is. It is the process of reducing devices and mechanical procedures in size so as to achieve results that cannot be attained at a macro level. An example of microtechnology that even a layperson will understand is tiny robots that are used to deliver drugs inside a body or repair DNA or restore eyesight. Myriads of such explorations are being done in the field of microtechnology.
To give you reference scale of the size nanotechnology or microtechnology uses, consider this. One nanometre is same as:
• The width of six bonded carbon atoms
• 1/40,000 the width of a human hair
• 0.000000001 m or one billionth of a meter
When seen at such a tiny scale the essential qualities of even everyday materials like gold open up new avenues that can be exploited for our use.