Communication Technologies in

2026

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”- Abraham Lincoln

Smart Cars:

• In 2026, Smart Cars will have taken over the road.

• Features:– Driverless vehicles– Autonomous– Biometric Access– Active window displays– Remote vehicle shutdown– Reconfigurable Body Panels

The Evidence

• Google has been working on a smart car prototype since 2009• In 2012, testing began with the Lexus RS450h• They completed over 300,000 California highway miles• In December 2014, Google revealed its first real build of its

prototype

Smart Cars: Diffusion of Innovations

Centers on the conditions that increase or decrease the likelihood that an innovation, a new idea, product or practice, will be adopted by members of a given culture.

• People must believe that the innovation has a relative advantage over what is currently being used

• Smart cars are still in the innovation phase• Once this technology is adopted by the risk takers, it will then go to the

early adopters, early majority, late majority, and finally, the laggards.

SMART GLASSES:

• BY 2026, INTERNET ENABLED GLASSES WILL BE USED AROUND THE WORLD. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE A FEW VERSIONS, BUT MOST ARE IN THEIR EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT.

• FEATURES:– INTERNET CAPABILITIES– 3D CAPABILITIES– PROJECT ONTO WALLS TO BROWSE THE INTERNET, WATCH NETFLIX,

ETC.– PLAY VIRTUAL REALITY GAMES

The Evidence:

• HoloLens by Microsoft are holographic glasses that enable the user to see the world around them as a holographic world

• The Developmental Edition was released March 30,2016 and costs $3,000.

• They contain more computing power than the average laptop• No wires, external cameras, or phone or PC connection

required

Smart Glasses: Critical Mass Theory

Definition: A small segment of the population that chooses to make big contributions to the public good

• With more and more people seeing the success of smart glasses the demand for this product will only increase

• This is true, because a large company like Microsoft (the few who make the choices such as new products) are creating a version of holographic ‘smart’ glasses and have been since 2012

Digital Assistants

• Currently, digital assistants voices are for the most part female voices with minimum language options

• By 2026, there will be an abundance of customizable options for digital assistants

• Functions: - Will develop a personal relationship with you- Voices will have more diverse options for language - You will be able to designate which gender

The Evidence• CEO and founder of X.AI has already created a male

alternative to their female digital assistant, named Andrew Ingram

• Going forward, companies will need to introduce new customizable options to keep digital assistants relevant

- This benefits customers by offering more diverse features

DIGITAL ASSISTANTS: THEORY OF THE LONG TAIL

Definition: Our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of ‘hits’ at the head of the demand curve and towards a huge number of niches in the tail

• Siri and Cortana are not widespread ‘hits’ because they do not occupy multiple niches

• By limiting digital assistants to one voice and gender it could only be selectively used

Conclusion

• With the inventions over the last 100 years, it is apparent that people will continue to invent new and improved technologies.

• The future should be filled will new and exciting technologies.

Sources Cited:

• Brauer, Karl. “Top 10 Advanced Car Technologies by 2020.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 30 June 2016.http://forbes.com/sites/kbrauer/2015/01/19/top-10-advances-car-technologies-by-2020/#5a1e6b5eb938

• “Diffusion of Innovations Theory.” Index. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2016http://www.ou.edu/deptcomm/dodjcc/groups/99A2/theories.htm

• “Microsoft HoloLens.” Microsoft HoloLens. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2016.https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-hololens/en-us/hardware

• Cheyer, Adam. “The Future of Personal Assistants.” O’Reilly. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 June 2016.http://conferences.oreilly.com/nextcon/economy-us-2015/public/schedule/detail/46805