i3 | October 21, 2021

Tech of Tomorrow

Technology is transforming industries, businesses and lives. Sensors embedded into devices are providing increased data and intelligence to create a smarter, more connected world. This shift promises to improve consumers’ lives with enhanced safety, efficiency and an array of choices. Although sometimes uncomfortable, disruption often creates a new pathway to growth. Pioneering technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, virtual reality, augmented reality and 5G are helping to fuel many new tech advances.

To help put these changes into context as tech evolves, CTA analysts select five categories to explore each year in its publication Five Technology Trends to Watch. The pub looks at how these tech areas could impact our future and the opportunities they will provide.

For the 2022 edition, the focus is on:

1 FinTech

Finance is being transformed presenting opportunities for innovators to help us manage our finances more easily and less expensively. New fintech innovations promise to disrupt legacy systems and business models. The principal innovation showing this promise is blockchain, which could allow us to send and receive money without the legacy financial systems we have used for years.

2 Cybersecurity

High-profile cyberattacks have become more common, and there are concerns about critical infrastructure. But there are efforts underway to push back, by industry working in partnership with government agencies, and there are some excellent proactive steps that can be taken to protect your business as well.

3 The Future of Transportation

From land to sky to orbit, transportation is undergoing a major makeover, much of it centered on the dual trends of electrification and autonomy. The vehicles of this transformation range from trucks and buses to passenger-toting drones to rocket ships.

4 Food Tech

Plant-based “meats,” AI-powered grocery experiences, 3D printed food, ghost kitchens and smarter delivery apps are all reshaping the food industry in diverse ways. As consumer habits shift because of smarter, newer tech innovations — and as tech developments are driven even more by consumer demand — the food tech industry is rapidly reconsidering what it means to access, order, cook and eat food.

5 Digital Therapeutics

DTx uses software to enhance clinical decision making, helping to determine the dose and method of delivery of medical treatment. DTx software can prevent, manage or treat a broad spectrum of physical, mental and behavioral conditions. DTx products empower patients with self-management tools. They are used independently or in concert with medications, devices or other therapies to optimize patient care and health outcomes.

As the tech ecosystem continues to advance, our products will help to solve many of today’s problems involving transportation, health care and education. To see the latest edition of Five Tech Trends to Watch, visit CTA.tech. And to see cutting-edge tech in action, visit CES® 2022 where the latest technologies, products and services are on display.

Join us in Las Vegas on January 5–8 to see a glimpse of the future.

For more information, visit CES.tech.

i3 magazine September/October 2021 cover

Subscribe to i3

I3, the flagship magazine from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, focuses on innovation in technology, policy and business as well as the entrepreneurs, industry leaders and startups that grow the consumer technology industry. Subscriptions to i3 are available free to qualified participants in the consumer electronics industry.