World Economic Forum Report about the Top 10 Emerging Tech
“From income inequality to climate change, technology will play a critical role in finding solutions to all the challenges our world faces today,” says Jeremy Jurgens, Chief Technology Officer at the World Economic Forum. “This year’s emerging technologies demonstrate the rapid pace of human innovation and offer a glimpse into what a sustainable, inclusive future will look like.”
Making the list involves more than promising major benefits to the world. The emerging technologies must positively disrupt the existing order, be attractive to investors and researchers, and expect to achieve considerable scale within the coming 5 years.
These are the top 10 emerging technologies for 2019:
1. Bioplastics for a Circular Economy Advanced solvents and enzymes are transforming woody wastes into better biodegradable plastics
2. Social Robots Droid friends and assistants are penetrating deeper into our lives
3. Tiny Lenses for Miniature Devices Thin, flat metalenses could replace bulky glass for manipulating light
4. Disordered Proteins as Drug Targets New possibilities for treating cancer and other ills
5. Smarter Fertilizers Can Reduce Environmental Contamination New formulations deliver nourishment on demand
6. Collaborative Telepresence Soon participants in virtual gatherings will feel like they are physically together
7. Advanced Food Tracking and Packaging A combination of two technologies could vastly improve food safety
8. Safer Nuclear Reactors Resilient fuels and innovative reactors could enable a resurgence of nuclear power
9. DNA Data Storage Life’s information-storage system is being adapted to handle massive amounts of information
10. Utility-Scale Storage of Renewable Energy A roadblock to sustainable energy solutions is coming unstuck
Compiled by
Srini