The advancements in technology over the past decade have brought about opportunities that were once nought but a fantasy found in the works of Philip K. Dick and the like. However, engineers and organisations are finding ways to develop this technology every day to help us in all aspects of our lives.
From social networks allowing us to stay in touch with loved ones all over the world, to innovation regarding medical treatment such as surgery and general health, technology has granted us innumerable opportunities and has made our lives all that much more comfortable.
However, it pays not to get complacent. We might be living in surreally technological times, but that doesn’t mean all is done. There are still problems in the world that need our attention, and while there are companies endeavouring to find the solutions to these issues, there is still some way to go.
Looking at the most prominent of technology in the modern world such as autonomous and electric cars to help reduce emissions and free up the sheer amount of traffic we encounter every day, more and more people are embracing technology as more than just something that makes their lives better. They are also focusing on how it can help other issues the world faces, too. This has proven to be quite the norm in recent years, with companies looking to shift towards more sustainable solutions when it comes to power and investing in renewable energy.
Furthermore, companies are looking for digital mapping services to analyse landscapes that can predict the potential for natural disasters, help evaluate foundations for new buildings, and improve the infrastructure of towns and cities for better transport.
And it is not merely Western-based businesses who are striving to improve the world. Places such as India have begun using robots to pick crops more efficiently than human hands can cope with and manage. Additionally, drone technology is being used to plant millions of trees a year in place of human efforts; this includes picking, dropping, ducking and moving on.
This sort of attitude towards solving the problems of the world is commendable. However, just because we have found solutions to some problems does not mean all is solved. The benefits of any sort of innovation are that it can always be improved. Consider data storage and how we have gone from huge servers that could hold mere megabytes, to the fingernail-sized SD cards we have today. While one solution certainly worked, the developers always knew they could improve.
The job is never done, and so resisting the allure of resting on our laurels is essential to continue building on existing innovations and finding even more sustainable solutions to something that has quickly snowballed into a significant problem over the past forty years.
Further investment in graduates who are tech-savvy and overflowing with ideas, instead of consigning them to stacking shelves and answering phone calls, is vital. Embracing those who grew up working alongside this technology that can save the world is something that would be irresponsible to ignore, and so the future lies with the present, and there is no one who wants to get left behind.