Expanding my discussion of what is coming in 2018…

Recently I posted my response to the top ten 2018 technologies post from Gartner. I listed six technologies, of which three weren’t in the Gartner article that I think will have a larger impact than the ten that Gartner picked. It isn’t easy to pick a list before things happen. I don’t mock nor to I belittle the effort to create such a list. I just worry that analysts and many IT professionals are prisoners of the moment. AI is an interesting reality, but it is one that will take a few more years to shake out. There are areas where AI systems offer considerable value (perimeter security and fraud protection are two that are valuable). I suspect that the expansion of AI in those two areas should be the near-term focus. Protecting people and reducing scams is critical for the economy and the protection of people. Imagine a security system that forces someone to guess right infinite times to crack into a system. The value of that would be beyond money.

As 360-degree cameras continue to improve and create a niche, the reality of what is possible will continue to expand. Today the modular drones are beginning to include 360-degree gimbals. That gives you a future path for including 360 aerial imagery. I would be remiss by not mentioning the modular drone I see with the most potential (Aguadrone you can find it at http://www.aguadrone.com ) Their drone is coming soon; the 360-degree gimbal is also coming soon.

The future is always a little fuzzy, something that we can’t grasp with two hands and hold onto tightly. It changes rapidly and as such 2018 presents a reasonable near-term target for what is possible. My list of six is at the link above. My concept focuses more on the art of the possible with consideration for adoption and benefits. Drones are still niche market products, but the growing drone and ROV marketplaces along with the reductions in pricing should increase the market. The rise of selfie drones will probably also drive the lower end of the market. That lower end will drive the higher end as well. I still argue that if I see a selfie drone taking pictures of me, I should be allowed to knock it out of the air but that is a different article.

Tomorrow is something we all think about. It is also something fun to post and discuss!