In this article, I talk about my vision for next year. I cover A.) virtual reality, B.) augmented reality, C.) 3D printing, D.) Quadcopters, E.) Autonomous cars, F.) Smarter technology

A.)  Back in 2014, the CEO and founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, bought Oculus Rift, for $2 Billion. This huge acquisition for the tech giant a few years back, is going down in history. Starting in early 2016, the Oculus Rift will go on sale and will revolutionize how we view entertainment. The virtual reality headset will allow anyone with it, push the boundaries of space and time, and be able to travel anywhere in the world. The headset is able to tap into your brain and alter your field of view. As you look the headset, your reality gets jumbled up, and you mind begins to think this virtual reality is actual reality. Other virtual reality headsets are on the market today, but they do not compete with top engineers in the world working on the Oculus Rift. Virtual reality will help change the way we think entertainment, and move us forward to a new movement of connectivity. The social network giant, Facebook, plans to execute such a task, by slowly integrating it throughout the Facebook platform.

B.)  Augmented reality, is not just like virtual reality. It is where you interact with the real world with light objects(holograms). Think of something like Star Trek. Your mind may be boggling, but yes this technology does exist! Microsoft has a product called the Hololens, that will allow people to interact with objects in the real world.  This technology will be made available in 2016 exclusively to developers for Hololens. Other companies like Google, have experimented with augmented reality. Only time will tell, until we see another product – that can revolutionize the world. We will surely see this 2016.

C.)   3D printing has been around for decades, but just recently in the past few years it has come to light. Companies are starting to latch and get in on this trend. 3D printing is a huge industry that works with medicine (organs), clothes (intricate designs), etc. 3D printers are easy to buy, but the learning curve is high. It takes awhile to fully master it. But once you master it, the world is yours to create. You can manipulate objects and see them being come to life right in front of your eyes. Big companies like Best Buy, Costco, and Target will start selling consumer friendly 3D printers.

D.)  Quadcopters will be the main subject of talk. Quadcopters are very versatile and can be used for multiple things. I see it being used as a service for quick deliveries. Another possible way it can be used is for security to use it as a tool, to help keep the area secure.

E.)   Autonomous cars will be huge in 2016. Tesla already has some features embedded into its software that allows it to parallel park, and drive on its own. Elon Musk, says autonomous cars will be fully integrated in Tesla by 2017, allowing for a level 4 autonomous car on the roads. Meanwhile Google has been working on its own autonomous car for a few years now. The company plans to partner with fellow car makers to make this technology available in cars hopefully by 2016 and beyond.

F.)   As we look into smart technology. Let’s take a look at smart watches. It really wasn’t a thing in 2014. Now here we are, in 2015, and it’s sorta a big deal. I see big trend in 2016, for smart wearables.  Wearables that not only track your steps, but can do so much more. Like for diabetics, draw blood to check glucose.