As we continue to navigate the winds of change that 2020 has brought us, you can’t blame people for looking forward to a brighter year in 2021.
Forecasting the technological innovation that will have the biggest impact on the world in the coming year may initially seem straightforward. With businesses across the globe operating in either a remote working or hybrid capacity, it seems logical that communication innovations will take centre stage.
2021 Will See Widespread Use of a Receipt Parser
But here’s the thing: remote working platforms and apps have been around for a while. We all used them prior to the pandemic, and we’ll use them after the pandemic. You could argue that platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and FaceTime are already centre stage.
Which innovations are likely to join them as we move into 2021. From 5G enhanced connectivity to API receipt parser, let’s examine those innovations that are likely to affect lives globally as we venture forth into a brave new world.
5G and Enhanced Connectivity
It’s been on the cards for a while, but 2021 looks to finally be the year that large-scale 5G is adopted by people the world over. Faster and more reliable mobile internet doesn’t just mean that web pages load quicker, but that data-driven services can be enhanced.
4G led to an explosion in video and audio streaming. 5G makes services that rely on advanced technologies, like cloud-based gaming platforms such as Google’s Stadia and augmented and virtual reality a viable proposition.
Not only that, 5G and other high-speed networks have the infrastructure for many innovations. Complex machine learning applications that rely on real-time access to big data sources can be completed, opening a whole new world of information.
As we venture forth into an unknown world, expect 5G, like receipt parser technology to be increasingly prominent in our mobile, remote working world.
Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Extended Reality
Now, augmented, virtual and extended reality have all been a part of our world for years, but in the coming months and years, expect AR, VR and ER to be used alongside other technologies to assist in tackling the challenges posed by our modern world.
One area where AR, VR and ER have tremendous potential is the medical profession. Examinations and diagnoses can increasingly be carried out remotely. VR therapies, including immersing patients in a relaxing VR land or seascape are increasingly being explored to accentuate treatment for anxiety and depression.
Patient education is another application. HealthVoyager, pioneered by Klick Health and Boston Children’s Hospital takes patients on a 3D virtual tour of gastrointestinal tracts, helping doctors to explain their examinations. This HIPAA-compliant platform helps patients and their families to gain a greater understanding of their condition, providing context to often complicated medical reports.
The Revolution of Software-As-A-Service
Key to how businesses operate right now, software-as-a-service will continue to expand in the coming twelve months and beyond. An API receipt parser, for instance, will be essential for businesses to manage their expenses with minimal colleague contact. Receipt data extraction is a game changer.
Our dependence on the cloud as a reliable and scalable business management solution will only increase in 2021 as we continue to adapt to a commercial landscape that places significant emphasis on hybrid or remote working.
You only need to look at the explosion of businesses using Zoom to see this. With its ability to add users to their servers and easily scale global coverage thanks to cloud technology, not to mention the necessity during lockdown, continues to drive demand. The need for this technology, which is not entirely dissimilar to an OCR parser in terms of the positive effect that it can have on businesses, will assuredly continue to rise in 2021.
Medicine Delivered by Drones
Access to medicine, especially the Covid-19 vaccine, which hopefully will become available in 2021 is paramount. However, with a great many countries in either a regional or local lockdown, how that vaccine is delivered is a problem that will need to be resolved.
It’s not unrealistic to assume that the deployment of drone deliveries will be the method of choice – especially in remote corners of the world.
Zipline, an American medical product delivery company, has been delivering medicines to people living in Rwanda and Ghana, although they have recently been granted permission to deliver medical supplies and protective equipment to the people of North Carolina, USA.
The future of medical drone deliveries may well depend on the appetite for prescription drone deliveries, however given that the current Covid-19 pandemic is still affecting much of the world, it’s not unreasonable to assume that medical drone deliveries will become as essential to everyday life as a receipt parser will be to calculated expenses.
Vehicle Automation
Like the other innovations we’ve mentioned in this article, wholesale adoption of automated vehicles has long been mooted as the future of smart city solutions. In fact, most automobile manufacturers offer vehicles with self-drive parking features.
Expect this technology to become more and more prevalent as they decade unfolds. With lane changing software becoming more and more advanced, GPS that enables vehicles to reach their destination efficiently, and adaptive cruise control for long journeys on the open road, complementing the self-drive parking features it’s not unreasonable to assume that in the very near future vehicles will be fully autonomous.
Moreover, our dependence on public transport, sitting in a crowded carriage with other passengers, may dwindle as we all deal with the Covid-19 world. This could give rise to the need for a different form of transport – one that autonomous vehicles could provide.
There’s Much Change to Look Forward To
2021 is likely to be a year of change and adaption as we navigate the fallout of 2020. Our ability to deliver solutions that meet our evolving world is almost at its peak.
What does this mean? Expect technology as diverse as an API receipt parser and vehicle automation to become a permanent fixture in all our lives. There’s much change to look forward to and, in many ways, we should be grateful for our ability to innovate for all that it has and will continue to bring to our lives.
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