The events of the past year have clearly shown how technologically advanced the world we live in. In an environment where freedom of movement of people is significantly limited almost all over the world, most of us, thanks to various technologies, were able to continue working remotely. This is evidenced by the fact that after an impressive fall in stock markets last spring, the fastest economic recovery in history has occurred in several months, and at least the cost of technology enterprises is now fabulously high. In this article, we’ll take a look at five technology trends that will impact our lives in 2022.
Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, Dropbox and other tech giants have already announced publicly that a significant proportion of their employees will continue to work from home this year, and some of them will no longer have to return to their offices even after the pandemic is over. Seeing that work does not stop with such a working regime, many enterprises will opt for reducing office space, and the saved funds will be able to use it to provide various bonuses to their employees. In addition, over the past year, many employees have managed to equip their homes with comfortable and functional workplaces, as well as started using software that allows them to be more productive and do more. Various tools that facilitate remote work have also undergone significant development. It is rumored that, Zoom, in addition to video conferencing capabilities, plans to expand its functionality with email and calendar services, and Google Meet is now free to use. Over the past year, the communication tool Microsoft Teams has also become much more convenient and improved, solutions for video conferencing have been significantly improved by such a well-known brand in our country as Logitech. If you want to analyze your productivity at home, we recommend trying the DeskTime program developed here in Latvia. Also last and this year were notable for distance learning, and teachers, schoolchildren and students are looking for the best solutions in this area. Fortunately, technology in this area can be very useful, and all that remains is to tune in to self-discipline in order to gain new knowledge.
Changes in shopping habits
The pandemic and the rapid development of technology have significantly changed our shopping habits. Citadele banka has calculated that its customers in October 2020 already made 75% of all payments without contact, and during the second wave of the pandemic they took less cash from ATMs. The ability to pay with your phone reduces the need to touch cash and the risk of contracting a virus. Also, home delivery of food has improved significantly over the past year. Rimi, Maxima (Barbora) as well as many home producers offer the possibility to order food online and receive it even on the same day. Hopefully, this convenient and safe type of shopping will continue to evolve this year, becoming more affordable outside of major cities. Food delivery services Wolt and Bolt have also had a significant impact on the catering industry, and there are more and more establishments that prepare food only for delivery to your home or office. In addition, the couriers of these services can carry out contactless delivery, so we can receive our order, avoiding contact with other people. Finally, more and more self-service checkouts are appearing in stores, and large grocery stores are trying to introduce modern technologies, for example, registering purchases even before we reach the checkout. Rimi does this with special hand-held scanners that customers can grab when they enter a store, and Maxima has built this functionality into a mobile app. In its turn In addition, the couriers of these services can carry out contactless delivery, so we can receive our order, avoiding contact with other people. Finally, more and more self-service checkouts are appearing in stores, and large grocery stores are trying to introduce modern technologies, for example, registering purchases even before we reach the checkout. Rimi does this with special hand-held scanners that customers can grab when they enter a store, and Maxima has built this functionality into a mobile app. In its turn In addition, the couriers of these services can carry out contactless delivery, so we can receive our order, avoiding contact with other people. Finally, more and more self-service checkouts are appearing in stores, and large grocery stores are trying to introduce modern technologies, for example, registering purchases even before we reach the checkout. Rimi does this with special hand-held scanners that customers can grab when they enter a store, and Maxima has built this functionality into a mobile app. In its turn registration of purchases even before we come to the checkout. Rimi does this with special hand-held scanners that customers can grab when they enter a store, and Maxima has built this functionality into a mobile app. In its turn registration of purchases even before we come to the checkout. Rimi does this with special hand-held scanners that customers can grab when they enter a store, and Maxima has built this functionality into a mobile app. In its turn Amazon is already starting to test fully automated stores that don’t even have sellers, but we still have a long way to go.
Development of electric transport
Electric vehicles are becoming more and more tangible part of our daily life. A couple of years ago, the boom of electric scooters began in Latvia, and now in the summer in the largest cities of the country several companies offer their sharing. This is a fairly cheap and very convenient way to get around the city. Now these same companies have taken the next step, and at least Fiqsy and Carguru offer electric car sharing. This is possible due to the fact that 2020 brought us a lot of new models of electric vehicles. It is clear that cars with internal combustion engines will be “eradicated” in the next 20 years, so it’s time to explore the range of electric cars. While electric vehicles are still expensive, buyers finally have a wide range of options to choose from. In 2022, manufacturers are also promising new models, more mileage per charge, and better prices. Just do not buy into the promises of autopilots, because while these are still openly marketing slogans, and we will have to wait another 5-10 years for a full-fledged autonomous drive. Neither technology nor legislation is ready for this yet.
5G mobile communications
Although the next generation of 5G mobile communications is relatively slow to roll out due to the significant investment required, it is inevitable and will significantly affect all of us. 5G technologies will enable the creation of new types of connected devices and systems, which will be found in various fields within a few years. Cities will become smarter, traffic safer, production more efficient, and services more affordable. In other words, we can connect every tree, lantern, car or any other object to the network. Already, many companies in Latvia and around the world are working on next-generation solutions that will make our everyday life easier. For several years now, the US and South Korea have been testing 5G in malls and the results show that that modern technologies make it possible to provide better communication and faster mobile Internet for large masses of people at the same time. Smart city systems are under development that will automatically turn on the green signal at traffic lights so that emergency services can get to the scene or hospital faster. 5G connectivity will be important for other vehicles as well, which will be able to communicate with each other or the surrounding road infrastructure without significant delays to communicate information about road conditions, congestion and accidents. Audi, BMW and Ford are already actively working with such technologies. which will automatically turn on the green signal at traffic lights so that emergency services can get to the scene or hospital faster. 5G connectivity will be important for other vehicles as well, which will be able to communicate with each other or the surrounding road infrastructure without significant delays to communicate information about road conditions, congestion and accidents. Audi, BMW and Ford are already actively working with such technologies. which will automatically turn on the green signal at traffic lights so that emergency services can get to the scene or hospital faster. 5G connectivity will be important for other vehicles as well, which will be able to communicate with each other or the surrounding road infrastructure without significant delays to communicate information about road conditions, congestion and accidents. Audi, BMW and Ford are already actively working with such technologies.
Development of telemedicine
On the one hand, the pandemic has clearly shown what consequences must be reckoned with in a weakened and underfunded healthcare system, on the other hand, it is an opportunity to develop new services. Solutions for telemedicine are developing at an ever faster pace in the world, allowing to receive consultations from doctors remotely, and such solutions are also appearing in Latvia. For example, on the website doconline.lv, we can apply for remote consultations for children and adults with more than 130 doctors from different clinics. And on the recently created platform in Latvia iesaistos. lvanyone can apply to participate in various studies of Latvian scientists to help them explore new diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Our smart devices, for example, smart watches, also accumulate a lot of information about our movements, heart rate, and over time we can transfer this data to doctors so that they can individually adjust the treatment. Since our health is a purely personal matter, devices and services must be handled wisely and always checked how safe and reliable they are, and, if in doubt, do not share your personal data with them.
Technologies are developing very quickly, but the unusual situation in which we find ourselves in 2021 has accelerated the development of new technologies, even by those people who previously did not particularly pursue the latest technologies. We can only be grateful to all the great minds who have developed solutions that today help all of us to communicate comfortably, work and have fun remotely.
