Each year, the increasing pace of the advancement of technology becomes ever more astounding. Last year was no exception. From consumer grade tech products to the research that is shaping future technologies, 2016 was an amazing year for nearly every major industry.
With the nearly endless list of advancements occurring this past year, here are my choices for the best tech advancements in the consumer, medical, and aerospace technology fields.
Best Consumer Tech: The First 1TB SD Card
Not long ago, the 1TB hard disk drive was implemented as the mid-tier standard for storage space in consumer grade PCs. It is truly amazing to think this same amount of storage can now fit onto a tiny SD card. Created by SanDisk, the drive is projected to hit the consumer market by mid-2017. Currently, the SanDisk 512GB SD cards sell for around $350.00, so expect the 1TB card to be on the pricier end of the tech spectrum.
Best Medical Tech: Fibretronics
Wearable tech has been gaining momentum for the past couple of years among general consumers. Think smart wristbands and watches. However, wearable technology has been a staple in the medical field for quite some time now, with 2016 showing some of the greatest advancements in the industry. Fibretronics are clothing materials with microchips and semi-conductive circuity implanted into the fibers. Thanks to a recent partnership between Google and Levi’s, this tech has taken a large leap forward from attempts by similar companies. Early tests show the clothing accurately detecting body temperature and heart rate, which has been an issue. This proves that integration into other existing medical applications could prove very beneficial in the near future.
Best Aerospace Tech: Vertical-Landing Reusable Rockets
In my opinion, the most exciting and promising technology of 2016 comes in the way of Space X’s vertical-landing reusable rockets. I observed the progress of this technology since mid-2015. With multiple catastrophic failures and millions of dollars burned up, I began to consider this technology a bust – but leave it to the determination of Space X’s CEO, Elon Musk, to prove me wrong. Musk’s investment finally paid off this past year with the first successful landing on a very small floating platform placed in the ocean. The successful application of this tech opens the door for far more frequent and potentially commercialized space travel. The possibilities of such a feat are limitless, while bringing us ever closer to truly exploring “the final frontier.”
With all the exciting technology advancements occurring in 2016, I am eager to see what the rest of 2017 has in store for us. Personally, I am hoping this will be the year Elon Musk also perfects his self-driving Tesla’s, so we can move on to what we all really want. Flying vehicles and hover boards, like the ones depicted in Back to the Future 2, obviously.
(Image Source: iCLIPART)
