Top 7 emerging technologies of 2023: from plant sensors to smart jackets
Would you like to wear a smart jacket or know the health of your plant in real time? With the emerging technologies of 2023, you’re closer to being able to do just that. You will also be able to cure yourself of a disease with a virus reprogrammed in a laboratory and travel by plane without polluting.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) published a report on the emerging technologies of 2023. It outlines the technologies that in a few years will occupy a central position in the economy and world trade. Below, Más Colombia brings you a list of the 7 most outstanding emerging technologies.
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Metaverse for mental health: a promising emerging technology
Metaverses are shared virtual spaces where people can interact, sometimes enhancing the experience with virtual reality. Although these types of environments have been criticized for absorbing people and taking them away from reality, they can also be used to support mental health.
Using the metaverse for telemedicine is one of the basic applications of this type of technology. Video games focused on contributing to mental health have also been developed. According to the FEM, the plan is to use these emerging technologies to support all aspects of mental health: prevention, diagnosis, therapy, education and research.
Flexible batteries
Flexible batteries are one of the emerging technologies of 2023. Flexible electronic devices, foldable displays, and smart wearables require thin batteries that can be bent, twisted, and stretched. A study by Infiniti Research, a market research firm, estimates that the flexible battery market will grow at an annual rate of 22%, between now and 2027.
One profitable application expected for this new technology is in healthcare, the WEF report notes. Smart electronic jackets, for example, could transmit patient information. And such jackets require flexible batteries.
Generative Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is capable of generating original content from patterns is another emerging technology of 2023.
In recent months, the use of AI to create text or images has become popular, but the cutting-edge uses of this technology are aimed at creating medicines, supporting production processes and designing everything from everyday objects to spaceflight instruments.
The consulting firm, Grand View Research, estimates that the market for this technology will grow at an annual rate of 37% until 2030.
Sustainable computing
The information from your email, your social networks and the pages you visit is stored in data processing centers. These are large rooms equipped with computing devices in which the data is stored.
These centers consume large amounts of energy to operate and require large cooling systems, which also consume energy. In total, they consume 1% of the energy produced worldwide, according to the German media DW.
Well, one of the emerging technologies of 2023 is sustainable data processing centers, according to the WEF report. On the one hand, they are using waste heat from the centers to run industrial processes, heat water and heat living spaces.
Advances are also being made to make energy use more efficient. There are already examples of consumption reductions of up to 40% in some centers. Finally, centers are being strategically located to be environmentally friendly.
For example, a processing center was located next to a plant that expels methane and runs its infrastructure on that gas.
Sustainable aviation fuel
This type of fuel is produced from biological resources, such as biomass, and non-biological resources, such as carbon dioxide. Optimally, renewable energies are used in the process of producing it.
Currently, sustainable fuel is 1% of global jet fuel demand, but it is expected to be 15% by 2040, according to the WEF.
This is one of the emerging technologies that is currently already showing significant growth. From 2021 to 2022, the production of sustainable jet fuels tripled, according to the WEF report.
Sensors to monitor plants
In sixth place among emerging technologies come sensors for monitoring plants. Until now, the process of monitoring crops has been done visually and with laboratory tests. Even with technological help, such as satellites or drones, it is a slow and costly process.
In contrast, this emerging technology consists of a microsensor that is installed on the stem or leaf of the plant. The sensor transmits data wirelessly to a computer. That way, the grower can monitor the conditions of each individual plant in real time.
Engineered bacteriophages
Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically affect bacteria. In this case, scientists design the bacteriophages using bioengineering.
The genetic information of the bacteriophages is reprogrammed so that, upon infection of the bacteria, the bacteria’s functions are affected as desired by the scientists.
Research is underway to use this type of technology to treat animal and plant diseases and to eliminate dangerous bacteria in food supply chains, the WEF report notes.
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