Staying Ahead Through Cutting-Edge Innovation

Through the course of the past half-century or so, there has been a steady acceleration in the rate of technical progress and innovation. It has become increasingly easy for fundamental tech innovations to be put into widespread use and social adoption. The cycles of social and economic change that are caused by technological advancements are accelerating. Additionally, there is a high probability that cycles of invention and technological progress will continue to grow at an alarming rate.

Increasingly, we see solid indications that change is not linear but rather exponential, and this evidence has been proven time and again in the history of technological growth. There is significant evidence that the convergence of sciences and technologies will become an increasingly important source of dynamics. This acceleration of technological development will also have an impact on economic sectors that have been slower to change in the past, particularly the energy and transportation industries.

TECHNOLOGY GROWTH

Science fiction existed for decades on the promise of Artificial Intelligence, be it in either robotic or system form but was very polarised by the impact of it. In films and stories, AI was always either of great benefit or having the potential for great harm (looking at you, HAL 9000). But now we are at the advent of true AI, we are experiencing something different; it’s actually fun!

However, there is another undeniable truth with AI. As systems become more able, they are able to extend even further, and we have reached a stage where human innovation is struggling to stay ahead of the AI-driven technology curve. Humans are becoming desperate in their innovation to keep up with the change.

During the course of the last few years, we have observed a pattern that has emerged: a persistent search for originality and relevance in the market, which has resulted in innovators enthusiastically adopting one technological trend after another. From the early days of crypto-currencies to today’s spatial computing and AI-driven content, the journey has been distinguished by a mixture of enthusiasm, experimentation, and, at times, desperation at the desire to stay ahead of others in some way.

METAVERSE DREAMS

Experiencing the switchover from the static early version of the internet to Web 2.0 with its fully interactive features and the ability to actually use it, many thought that it couldn’t get any better. How would you move on from there? You could buy stuff, comment on stuff, and develop the persona that you really wanted to be, but couldn’t in the real world.

However, tinkering, technology, and innovation brought about the first inklings of the Metaverse, but this was a completely different beast entirely, and to many it was just an extension of gaming. Growth in the metaverse has stalled to some extent because it is best experienced using specialist equipment rather than mobile devices and laptops, and as that technology is still growing, the Metaverse remains niche.

NOW, WE’RE ALL GOING SPATIAL

“Spatial” has become the word of the day. As a technological commentator, I find that it is on everyone’s lips. If you are not chatting ‘spatial’ at a party or conference, then it seems that you are not relevant. Already, a slew of first-on-the-wagon startups and social influencers – who typically do not have any actual understanding in the issue, but hold on in there anyway – are clamouring to join in on the fun of the spatial world. They anticipate a future in which augmented reality overlays enrich our everyday lives, and they are eager to get in on the action, but in many cases not really understanding what it is they are trying to deal with.

The emergence of new applications and experiences that make full use of the domain of spatial computing will undoubtedly result in an increase in the amount of interest that is shown in this exciting medium. There are an infinite number of possibilities, ranging from interactive shopping experiences to immersive gaming worlds or environments. However, as the course of history has demonstrated, the journey from hype to reality is frequently filled with obstacles, and only time will tell whether or not spatial computing lives up to the promise that it has made.

The truth is though that much of the spatial innovation is based on either the same or similar technology to that which powers the Metaverse, and until we have access to relatively cheap but reliable AR/MR equipment, spatial computing innovations will flounder somewhat. As we have seen countless times before, originality isn’t sufficient to ensure success in the long run. To be truly innovative, one must have a passion for solving practical problems, an in-depth knowledge of technology, and the flexibility to change with the times.

Rather than being simple social commentators, we at Unity Developers are excited by all current technology trends and are keen to engage with you if you have an innovative idea in the AR/MR field. Come and chat to us and find out how we can help you.