Top 2017 Technology Trends That Will Continue in 2018 This year, we witnessed some noteworthy technologies being introduced. In 2018, these technologies will make an even bigger splash

2017 has been an exciting year as far as technology is concerned. Breakthrough inventions in mobility, medicine, payments technology, computing have kept us on our toes.

Whether it is the self-driving vehicles or the reversing of paralysis with brain implants or making payments with face recognition, all of them have been intriguing. However, in this fast paced modern world, technology is being redefined by the minute. While some inventions become obsolete early, some technologies are ahead of their time and sink in gradually over the years.

Here's such top technology trends of 2017 that will have a greater impact in 2018:

Blockchain

Blockchain is a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) primarily developed to support the crypto-currency Bitcoin. In simpler terms, this architecture is an algorithm and shared data structure which facilitates the management of electronic money amongst people who do not know each other. The Blockchain architecture does not have a central administrator or centralised data storage. Although, this technology is at a nascent stage and still evolving, financial companies may adopt it in 2018.

Artificial Intelligence

In easy words, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a vast concept of a machine's ability to replicate smart human behaviour. In a world where AI is being smoothly fused into our day-to-day lives, its implementation in the field of healthcare, finance, workforce and customer experience is inevitable. As a result, we will see a deeper integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in our everyday lives in the following year.

Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing is a widely known concept of storing and accessing information and applications over the internet. While many corporates have already embraced this technology, others are still following suit. Forecasting the rise in demand for cloud computing services, this market will see newer and better services. Open-standards, cloud-focused design along with a loose architecture will be widely accepted by start-ups as well as large enterprises. We can also expect market consolidation by top companies like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Google.

Internet of Things

'Internet of Things' (IoT), a technology that enables various household devices to connect with the internet, will gain prominence. IoT and Smart Home Technology will be combined into a single and seamless user experience, in the near future. Tech giants like Amazon, Google and Apple are investing heavily in research to make the most of this technology.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

Numerous Virtual Reality (VR) devices like Oculus Rift, Sony Playstation VR, HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR, Google Daydream have already hit the shelves. This has caused a ripple effect as a result of which many companies are designing AR and VR content. We have witnessed AR games like Pokémon Go becoming a rage last year. However, these technologies will truly take off in the next year with many more VR and AR applications being developed.

Wearables Technology

With people across the globe taking to a healthy lifestyle, the worldwide wearables industry has seen a double digit growth year on year. Top brands like Fitbit, Apple, Google, Alexa, Samsung launched their latest wearable products for the masses in 2017. We can expect to see better and smarter versions of these products in the year ahead. Going forward, this technology will reshape healthcare industry and also will be applied to new areas of the human anatomy.

Drones

Today, Drones are already used independently by individuals, businesses as well as governments for varied purposes like aerial photography, shipping and delivery, geographic plotting, disaster management, study of unreachable regions, law enforcement & border surveillance and even for military search and rescue operations. While drones will be continually used for these motives, its application in the commercial industry will grow further. In the times to come, Drones will monitor traffic, fertilize crops or even deliver food at our doorsteps.

Unmanned Vehicles

Unmanned or Autonomous vehicles will soon be a reality. Companies like Tesla, Zoox, Google, General Motors, Uber are hard at work and are already testing these vehicles for mainstream commercial usage. While until now, these cars have had partial autonomy, they will be fully self-driven in the future.