Hot Technologies for 2016

Michael R. Wood is a Business Process Improvement & IT Strategist Independent Consultant. He is creator of the business process-improvement methodology called HELIX and founder of The Natural Intelligence Group, a strategy, process improvement and technology consulting company. He is also a CPA, has served as an Adjunct Professor in Pepperdine's Management MBA program, an Associate Professor at California Lutheran University, and on the boards of numerous professional organizations. Mr. Wood is a sought after presenter of HELIX workshops and seminars in both the U.S. and Europe.

  Innovation   Manufacturing   Strategy  

What a year 2015 was for technology! Not so much because of major innovations, but because of the improvement and consumerization of some very cool and transformative technologies that are still maturing.

Last year, I highlighted a number of technologies that promise to be game changers. These included:

1. Internet of Things (IoT): Devices of all types with embedded software and internet access that are capable of sharing extraordinary amounts of data. Basically, everything connected to everything from wearable devices to homes to cars to the smart grid
2. Smart Machines: Machines and devices that learn from their environment and use. Areas of application include advanced robotics and autonomous vehicles.
3. Context-Rich Systems: Systems and applications that make decisions based on knowledge of the environment, user’s habits and characteristics
4. Beacon Technology: Enables smartphones and other devices to take actions based on their proximity to a “beacon” source. Each beacon has a discrete ID programmed to fulfill a specific set of functions once connected to the seeking device (e.g., provide directions, send text message, etc.).
5. Intelligent Drones: Unmanned and somewhat self-powered aircraft that can learn from their environments and recognize terrain and structures in order to make person-independent …

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