This past June, Alphabet, the superior to Google held its extensive annual shareholder meeting. Perhaps, one of the more interesting items on the agenda was a discussion of the newest tech innovations that Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt believes will hit the market in the next 5-10 years. Although he is only one person, his reputation is backed heavily by the fact that he is part controller of one of the most innovative institutions in the history of the world. Here are 5 things he had to say.
3D Printed Structures
Just as the buzz seems to be wearing off, Schmidt expresses the significance of 3D printing and how it can be utilized to cut the costs of construction and design. He emphasized the fact of what could happen if the costs of building and designing structures could be cut down. He also says that a void in the market will be filled, and that being the fact that there are no publicly traded companies that sell 3D printers. So be sure to be on the lookout for this breakthrough in the years moving forward.
Driverless Cars
Driverless cars are already out there, but only for test runs. They have already logged over a million miles, but they haven’t been introduced on a large scale. Schmidt says that in the coming years many other companies besides Alphabet, will release the technology, and at this moment they already have it developed. Driverless cars will hope to promote safer streets and better communities. The main reasons behind their delayed launch is legislative, so that is why it could take so long.
Educational Learning from Machines
Schmidt claims that the future of education will lie in machine learning. What is meant by this, is that teachers will be using machines to teach children. This could bring more specialized curriculums to students. Many tech giants like Alphabet have begun to put a large emphasis on machine learning and will continue to do so. But, IBM is leading the way in the introduction of machine learning, so that should available be in the coming years.
Meat With No Meat
With increased health issues surrounding meat, Schmidt claims that companies will use complex systems to utilize plants and other natural ingredients to establish foods that are significantly similar to meat products. Impossible foods, a pioneer in this technology will lead the way in the Meatless Burger so be on the lookout for this food breakthrough in this coming year. Others will soon follow.
Cheaper VR
Virtual Reality is already on the market however, like any new technology it is fairly expensive. Schmidt claims that the efforts of Alphabet are targeting towards driving the cost of VR sets down to a reasonable range. He also mentions that VR will continue to grow and eventually take over as the newest technology trend and for Alphabet specifically, a revenue stream. Sony and Facebook notably have the first mover advantage so Alphabet has some grounds to cover in terms of market share.
