Science & Technology for 2008

Technology trends for 2008 include a lot of investment in the development of merged tech. Here are some of the things that will appear in the market:

- Printers and digitizers with incorporated shredders.
- Multidisplay systems.
- Mobile phones/mini laptops/PDAs will continue to present more and more functionalities: Camera, GPS, e-mail, radio, mp3, internet, video calls, VoIP. Basic new functions will be weather forecasts/atmospheric conditions sensors ( in some models it may even measure atmospheric particles, UV levels and carbon monoxide) and personal trainers ( sensors measuring cardiac rhythm and other health related functions). The big new thing will be the inclusion of location/ track possibilities. A lot of companies are developing software applications for that ( the number of patents is already high in this field). On the other hand do not expect many improvements on battery life (some experimental solar cell power stuff) or signal strength/communications quality.


Other trends:

- RFID tags applications will appear mostly in security systems (tracking goods in shops, tracking bags in airports, tracking people). Other security systems are expected either based in biometrics, retinal or DNA labelling.
- TV: TV on demand over IP. Mobile TV. HDTV. Multiple tuners for TV receivers. Broadcast and transmission systems. 3D imaging.
- Audio /video encoding and decoding.
- Remote data storage.
- Solid state drives(faster, higher storage capacity, lighter).
- Nanotechnologies: For drug delivery. Nanoelectronics and sensors. Nanomaterials. Nanotoxicology and biocompatibility. Nanotechs are still in their infancy therefore widespread tech applications should not be expected yet.

The above is my personal opinion based on nr of patent applications in each area and scientific and technical information I read during 2007.

My choice as the idea of the year 2007:

a car navigation/traffic information solution by IntelliOne that crosses GPS information with mobile phone signal detection for a given route. The purpose is to avoid congestioned roads. The system produces very reliable and timely information. It updates quicker than the use of video cameras or radars. Of course this is only useful for 1st world countries were almost everybody has a cell phone.