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5 Impact of Emerging Technologies
• This is technology that is being newly developed
• These can have several impacts on our society
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Technology that focuses on creating a computer system
that can closely mimic or simulate human intelligence
• AI can be used to:
o Enhance video games and computer tactics
o Help decision making steps in expert systems
o Make robots to imitate human behaviour
o Understand different human languages
• Impact on everyday life:
o Can be used to accurately predict hazardous weather
conditions and signal warnings automatically
o Take over menial tasks for humans; increasing our
leisure time
o Can be used for safer automated travel; cars that can
drive and park by themselves
o Increases home safety by being able to tell the
difference between owner & intruder; call authorities
automatically
o Improved medical care as decision making skills and
precision can be enhanced.
Biometrics
• A part of a person’s body is used to identify that
individual
• Can be:
o Fingerprints
o Retina
o Iris
o Face
o Voice
• These are all unique to everyone thus can be used as an
authentication technique
• Must be added initially to a system to use as
identification
• Impacts on everyday life:
o Better security at the airport since most use at least
one form of biometric check if not more
o Increased security in certain places as only authorized
personnel can gain entry
o Reduced vehicle theft since newer car doors come
with a fingerprint lock on the door handle
o More secure mobile devices as most now have some
sort of biometrics integrated into them
Vision Enhancement
• LVES: low vision enhancement systems: video projected
inside a headset in front of the user’s eyes. Brings the
objects closer for the viewer.
• NVE: Night vision enhancement: amplifies visible and
infrared light. Light passed through image intensifier
tube where light is converted to electrons, then
amplified (increase in no.) and then light up screen with
phosphor dust.
Robotics
• Programmed machinery widely used to do physically
demanding tasks
• Can be automated or manually operated
• Used to perform several tasks:
o Dangerous jobs such as bomb disposal
o Exploring extreme environments such as volcanoes
o Repetitive manufacturing jobs such as welding
o Moving heavy objects such as large engines
• Impacts on everyday life:
o Increased personal time since robots can take over
domestic chores
o Increased manufacturing efficiency since robots are
much faster and less expensive than human labour
o Unemployment as robots replace humans in
autonomous jobs
o Safer working environments since robots can perform
tasks that are too dangerous for humans
Quantum Cryptography
• Technology that allows messages and data to be sent
with complete privacy; basically, advanced encryption
• Older encryption is based on mathematics, but this new
tech uses physics
• Makes it much more complex to decrypt
• Impacts on everyday life:
o Completely secure voting ensuring that votes cannot
be tampered with or changed
o Completely secure communication eliminating the risk
of being read/heard by the wrong eyes/ears
o Completely secure bank transactions so money goes
exactly where it is intended
o Completely secure personal information preventing
hackers access to intrusive details about a person
Computer Assisted Translation (CAT)
When human translators use computer software to help
in the translation process
• Can reduce translation time
• May not be 100% accurate
• Common CAT tools:
o Spell checkers
o Translation memory software
o Language search-engine software
• Impacts on everyday life:
o More accurate documents since most software can
automatically detect errors
o More multilingual society since anyone with an
internet connection can now essentially learn multiple
languages using translators
o Quicker translations
3D & Holographic Imaging
• Technology that makes images appear to be 3-
dimensional by adding a layer of depth
• Holograms use 2 regular 2D images and manipulate
them to produce a 3-dimensional image
Different laser beams are used to record the 2D images
onto a single photographic plate
• This creates an illusion of one 3D images
• Impact on everyday life:
o Improved security since majority of credit/ID cards &
bank notes use holograms to prevent forgery
o Better movie experiences since 3D viewing can provide
a more immersive experience for the audience
o Greater data storage since holographic layers can
potentially decrease the thickness of disc storage
Virtual Reality (VR)
• When computers create an artificial environment that
users can virtually interact with
• Uses:
o Allow architects to walk around a virtual version of
their design
o Training soldiers for combat by allowing them to fight
against virtual enemies
o Training surgeons by allowing them to operate on
virtual patients
o Playing games and enhance the level of immersion
• General VR equipment:
o Eye goggles that produce 3D images to develop the
artificial environment
o Special gloves or controllers to perform precise actions
inside the simulation
o Headphones to control what is heard in the virtual
world
o Powerful computer to run the entire VR system in real
time
• Impacts on everyday life:
o Improved medical surgeons/soldiers
o Stronger buildings
o Treatment of phobias as certain situations can be
treated using simulations
o More realistic education as students can learn in a
more interactive environment
