Things you didn't know about this Renaissance master
In 2021, Airbus hopes to sign a deal with a number of European companies to develop a large drone, the Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned aerial system.
Despite the terrible year that was 2020, key players in the aerospace industry have expressed their determination to focus on research and development.
There were a number of developments towards the end of 2020 that suggest 2021 could be a difficult year for tech giants, such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple.
There is a general consensus that the power of Big Tech should be curbed; in December, the European Commission revealed draft legislation that would overhaul Big Tech regulation.
Rolls-Royce also hopes to put out the Spirit of Innovation, an electric aircraft that will hopefully fly at more than 300mph and therefore break the world speed record of an electric aircraft.
In October 2020, the US government filed charges against Google, accusing it of violating competition law. Facebook was also sued in December for illegally buying up rivals.
Lots of retailers also suffered at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic over the course of 2020. With people confined to their homes, more and more shopping went online.
Another major change to daily life in 2020 was the shift to working from home. Although for many this was compulsory during the pandemic, it is expected to continue once the pandemic is over.
Amazon already runs 20 ‘Go stores’ in the US and these are expected to arrive in the UK in 2021. Whether smaller retailers will choose to invest in such technology remains to be seen.
The security element will likely become more prevalent, as people set up their permanent workstation in an environment where security is likely not as advanced as in the office.
Driverless cars are expected to become more prevalent over the course of 2021. Currently Waymo are blazing the trail; they already have 300 cars operating in Phoenix, Arizona.
2020 was a great year for companies that provide work from home technology, and these companies will likely add more features to further improve the experience in 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought major changes to the pharmaceutical industry, mainly in the context of drug development.
We can expect to see the development of further vaccines and COVID-19 testing kits over the course of 2021.
Thanks to the introduction of online consultations and remote data collection, it became a lot quicker and easier to trial new drugs.
Interestingly, Uber decided to give up on its driverless cars in December 2020 and sold its autonomous vehicle division to Aurora Technologies, which is backed by Amazon.
Rivals Cruise and Lyft are also developing their autonomous cars. Both companies are testing in San Francisco, although Cruise is thought to be further ahead than Lyft.
It seems likely that the contactless delivery and shopping options offered by delivery services such as Uber Eats are here to stay.
There are a number of companies already offering telehealth services, which include online consultations, AI avatar-based diagnostics, and autonomous medication delivery.
In 2020, it was a main concern of institutions to limit the exposure to COVID-19 of their workers and clients. In healthcare this meant the advancement of telehealth options.
Certain companies are also looking to remove the need for a delivery person altogether. Chinese company Meituan recently began using autonomous vehicles to deliver groceries.
According to Inc., telehealth visits have increased by 50% with respect to pre-COVID-19 levels, and Forrester Research has estimated the number of visits in the US will be one billion in 2021.
Just as the pandemic has forced many adults to work from home, so too has it forced many children to learn from home. According to Inc., school closures have affected 1.6 billion globally.
US-based startups Manna, Starship Technologies, and Nuro are investigating the use of robotics and AI-based applications to offer delivery options.
Main players in the online learning platform industry include Coursera, Age of Learning, and Outschool in the US, and iTutorGroup and Hujiang in China.
This has presented an opportunity to develop e-learning and explore the possibility of teaching via video conference. Apparently many institutions intend to continue with the method.
They are already very much on the rise and will continue to be so into 2021. Startups such as Bird, Lime, and Dott are leading the way in the industry.
See also: How to use technology mindfully
Anyone asked at the beginning of 2020 to predict how the year would look in terms of new technology would likely have missed the mark. Tech had to respond to the outbreak of a global pandemic that changed the world in more ways than imaginable, and the landscape looks very different at the beginning of 2021 from how it did at the beginning of 2020.
Of course, in light of this some may find it futile to predict what 2021 will bring. But it's a fun exercise nonetheless! Check out this gallery for some predictions as to what 2021 will look like technology-wise.
Although there was initially a dip in the use of e-scooters and e-bikes at the beginning of the pandemic, the market is already back to its pre-COVID-19 growth level.
Electric bikes are viewed by many as an eco-friendly, convenient, and now, in light of the pandemic, safe transportation method.
For those retailers who managed to survive the disastrous year, physical stores may look a little different in 2021, thanks to technology that allows stores to operate with no checkout.
Predicting the tech trends for 2021
See how this year is likely to pan out for technology
LIFESTYLE Technology
Anyone asked at the beginning of 2020 to predict how the year would look in terms of new technology would likely have missed the mark. Tech had to respond to the outbreak of a global pandemic that changed the world in more ways than imaginable, and the landscape looks very different at the beginning of 2021 from how it did at the beginning of 2020.
Of course, in light of this some may find it futile to predict what 2021 will bring. But it's a fun exercise nonetheless! Check out this gallery for some predictions as to what 2021 will look like technology-wise.