What kind of tech will be in our homes in the next 2, 5, even 10 years time? I don’t think that is something any of us outside of the super secret research labs of billion dollar companies can predict, technology is moving at such a pace now that almost anything could be right around the corner.
One thing I do know is that 3D technology is going to start to dominate the market soon. Yes it has had a shaky start and I think that the launch of the 3DTVs with those chunky glasses was a mistake, but the technology is getting better and the Nintendo 3DS has proved that you don’t need to wear any equipment to get a great 3D effect. In fact at the IFA consumer tech show in Berlin this year then some TVs were shown that use a similar technology to the Nintendo 3DS and don’t require you to wear glasses. That will be a huge step forward and when they are released I think that 3D films and programs will start to go mainstream.
I have seen the 3DTVs working and the effect can really enhance some films, particularly animated ones like Ice Age for instance. One of the biggest areas that will be affected by 3D is the gaming community, playing computer games in 3D will really make things interesting! Currently the only option people have for 3D gaming is to buy a special graphics card for their PC and also… yes a pair of special glasses! However once the new generation of 3DTVs that don’t need glasses start to flood the market then you will be able to play console games in 3D, and I am sure the technology will move into computer monitors too so you won’t need glasses when playing on your PC either.
3D printing is also something that is starting to take off. At the moment the 3D printers that you can buy have to be assembled by yourself, but as the technology develops then companies will surely start selling prebuilt versions that anybody can buy and use. I don’t think these will revolutionize our world, afterall they can only really print small plastic things in 3D, but sometimes new technology has a way of insidiously creeping into our daily lives and suddenly becoming indispensable without us noticing, like what has happened to most people with Facebook! So we could find ourselves using it to download and print new cases for our phones or other useful items, we will have to wait and see as they start to come down in price and get easier to use.
So you can clearly see the world of the future is 3D, and it will also be interactive too as the development of thinner and larger screens continues unabated. At the moment applications are available to overlay digital imagery onto our real world environment, so you can navigate around a tourist attraction for instance and hold your iPhone up to something and it will overlay information on it, or you can do the same with a restaurant you want to try and have reviews pop up, however that technology is still being developed and hasn’t really taken off yet. I have seen paper thin interactive displays though which can be applied to shop windows. Imagine stopping outside a shop and realizing you were going to buy something you saw online, so you touch the window and open up a list of the items they sell in the shop, find the item you wanted and then display some text on it, the price, and more importantly if they have any stock available, all without even setting foot into the shop – now that will be an interesting experience!