2014 Technology – The Year Ahead
Brushless DC Motors, 3D printers, lathes, milling machines and of course robotics.
3D Printer at Maker’s Party – source – thanks to Subhashish Panigrahi
Like most readers of technological magazines we equip ourselves with amazing gadgetry, audio which never sounds right, cars that always fail and a non-deserved flair for arrogance. 2014 is going to be tough, say the economists. No matter how tough, we will always find those that find the money to buy the latest audio, cars and fashion. Whether it’s the bank’s money, a friend’s or a parent – who really cares? Technology is king and will remain so for many years to come.
2014 Technology – What’s trendy and what’s not
I come from the computer era, I am also a big electronics geek (or I like to think so). Technology is certainly changing the way in which we think and do things. 80% is not for the better. Spellcheckers are great for the beginner but really, look back 50 years and you’ll find your parents did not have those marvels at their fingertips – they had to do things right, first time. Spelling was just one of those things. One day, trust me, spelling will be a subject at school. Do you remember that story (Asimov) where a space ship had a young cadet on board that could add. subtract, multiply and divide without the use of a calculator – these were single digit numbers by the way. He was classified as a boy genius. Technology is making us lazy and ummm, pretty stupid. Read the book: “Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies” by Jared Diamond.
2014 Technology with Bob Dylan’s “The Times are a Changing”.
Not really – no matter how some things change they don’t really. Well let’s get to the point then, I think I am in a fair position to say that although technology is changing it’s making us poorer – poorer in vision, things we do and in our social skills. To keep up with the Jones’s we want the latest cellular device and have become brilliant users. The more gadgets, the more we want. App writers are making millions and for many, deservedly so. For many also, they are supplying us with rubbish. There’s duplication upon duplication upon duplication – we have too little time on planet earth to check all the apps so lets just start by giving us something that really works.
Pre 2014 Technology – this must been 1960s Techology
I had a spiro-gyra (known as a spirograph) set when I was young. I also had a little ‘TV’ set which projected an 8mm film onto a small screen. These two ‘play-things I will never forget. It expanded my own dreams. Try this with the latest technology and I can promise you it’s only the very bright and the very daring that will take this technology to the next level. There’s worse to come – money.
The Spirograph – an invention by engineer Demys Fisher from the UK
2014 Technology – From archives to Now or How to steal technology and get away with it!
We are really a sucker for punishment. What may seem like a wondrous invention in 2013 may in fact have been on the cards in 1910. I kid you not. Are you really aware that flash boilers have been around for over a century. We adapt because of the environment – energy stakes are high so we look for alternative fuels. The man or woman that invents a car that can run off water will win first prize. The man or woman that discovers a cure for diabetes wins second prize. 2014 Technology doesn’t have any new cures of course.
Apple is just such a wondrous company with a great flair for innovation. Steve Jobs gets a posthumous Grammy but while he was alive he was often treated like a schmuck. This is how I see it in any event. Yes, perhaps he was a difficult man to work with but so do I believe was Albert Einstein. This is how it is working with genius. Then we copy the works – like we all know Steve did as well. There is a difference however, Steve just made it better.
As much as technology changes it doesn’t change that much. Marketing is much stronger than 50 years back because of the power of the internet so of course it has a much larger audience or spectatorship. Much of what is being brought out today is really not all that exciting. Much of what is being brought out today is just an improvement on old design. I see three big jumps in the last 20 years:
- The computer – used as a multitasking device.
- The Internet – marketing, education and media content.
- Wireless and home media (I connect these two, excuse the pun)
I am over simplifying. There are many things I can add but I see the most significant jumps in these three from a technological standpoint. Of course I could add cell phones. I won’t though because like the TV receiver has been proven to be the demise of many an intelligent kid, I abhor the fact that in a room full of people, 90% of them are looking at their cell phone, waiting for something or someone to spring out and wave a wand. I do give it 90% though for making communication simple and life-saving.
Late 1800s or early 1900s tech versus 2014 technology
The AM transceiver still beats it (the cell phone) hands down in performance. Yes, you may argue about skips, hops and jumps – whatever (I studied radio so yes, I do know about the Kennelly-Heaviside and Appleton layers etc, etc – but you don’t need all the expensive mumbo jumbo which goes with modern technology). I do see that where the cell phone beats any other technology hands down is in making money. Contracts, to be clear. So, sorry, I haven’t included cell phone technology in my 2014 round up. Neither a TV that changes channels when you talk to it, a car that can drive on three wheels, self inflating tyres and a bucketload of gadgets and gizmos.
So what and where is 2014 technology going to come from?
- Besides the usual marketing hype and me being brave enough to piss off people that love cell phone technology I have made up a list of sectors where we should be seeing some great improvement:
- Medical – always and what’s great about it, its always too expensive for the man on the street, the Honest Joe. My hat is off to the medical fraternity that really do care about the well-being of the sick and not just their own pockets. Advancement – Nanoparticles and cancer treatment.
- Motor Cars – more gadgets. Another industry which relies on your wallet size first. I call it the WTF industry because the only cars that interest us are the Top Gear variety. I concur with the team. Our run of the mill cars are just plain ugly or boring.
- Fashion – Out with the old, in with the new. Bikinis won this award many years back. They still do.
- Computers – old technology made smaller.
- Peripherals – our money is on 3D printers.
- Tools – Of course the 3D printer and subtractive devices, lathes and milling machines. All in ones.
- Companies – Samsung
- Films and Cinema – CGI. I’m a sceptic – I hear about these great movies and they all end up being rubbish. Computer enhancement is great but the reality is a big Yuck! There is nothing better than great acting and a strong plot.
In Summary
2014 is going to be a tough year for many companies. Sony is losing a race in the money stakes but I still hold thumbs for their innovative flair – this has always been their backbone. Sony is going to change their style of doing business and their strength, from a technical viewpoint has to remain in their manufacture of top-notch video cameras. Professional video gear for the home user is playing very much into their hands – the Sony brand speaks for itself.
Samsung will continue to grow and eat up their competition but I find a lot of their innovative flair is being spent on gadgetry. Great products though.
The motor industry is seeing a lot of safety features being built into a motor car but the traffic authorities seem to have less control over reckless driving. Black boxes are a thing of the future.
GPS and navigational aids (auto) – display fed from an anti tamper proof black box, onboard cameras and interfacing with the cell phone.
Hybrids, electric motors and control gear – the motor (auto) industry bring out really robust starter motors to restart the engine at every stop street and traffic controlled intersection. Would this money not be better invested in hybrid technology? What do these starter motors cost in any event? Fuel saving – possibly? Gimmicky? Possibly. Replacement value – plenty.
Electric motors – steppers. Proportional control – steppers have been around for ever and possibly next to the small 12V DC motor one of the most versatile motors found on the engineer’s bench. They have become more attractive in price as demand has increased but the reality is that they are still expensive. Electronic controlled brushless DC motors with feedback control may pave the way forward as they lend themselves to mass production and of course, a cheaper commodity. Going this route also introduces lightweight motors which can have a very large RPM range making them very suitable for robotics.
In summary I see the biggest technological advancement is going to be around additive and subtractive tooling. The technology is there and thanks to the thousands of DIYers – which includes highly specialised engineers we are on the road to some marvellous new discoveries. These devices WILL be able to replicate themselves which is not all that astonishing – scientists believed this years ago. What is going to be really (more) astonishing is how this is going to affect the home manufacturing business, engineering companies and the medical profession.
Computers world wide are going to be adapted for this industry just as all the newer releases of software have. (by adaption I mean I/O communication, robustness and dare I say it – redundancy. You just cannot afford failure of a computer when doing a manufacture. I have heard of this time and time again, even from exceedingly expensive machinery. I also do not think the I/O ports of today offer the user a stronger or more reliable connection than the older serial or parallel ports compared to our relatively fragile USB ports and cabling.
Lastly, the audio sector may just marry into the motor controller family. No, this is a not a new concept – just becoming more popular. H-Bridge Audio, H-Bridge motor controllers and H-Bridge power supplies. For the engineering fraternity.