Above: Like lightning, digital technologies jolt us with energy, the savvy will harness their energy, those who ignore, risk danger.
One Line Goal: List disruptive technologies in 2013 on one page, with your help in the comments.
The number of technologies that are creating disruptions to companies and ecosystems are increasing at an alarming rate. Even though Altimeter rated the technologies that matter from last week’s SXSW, we see even more technologies emerging on the heels of mobile world congress, and CES. Expect even more technologies to emerge, radically altering the power shift of those who use these technologies to gain power over existing institutions.
In an attempt to track and then analyze these technologies, I’ll host the following “industry index”, where I list out examples, and the community adds to it in comments. I’ve done this multiple times over previous years, which often results in discrete research projects, market definition reports, and ratings and rankings of technology vendors.
I’ve kicked off the list with 10 technologies I see (with help from colleague Chris Silva), and at Altimeter, we’ve embarked on looking at research themes that impact business. With your help through the comments, we can keep this list updated for the year.
Index: 2013 Disruptive Technologies
| Disruptive Technology | Description | Example |
| Proximity Based Communications | Devices that capture and analyze a set of sensors, providing intelligence based on context of people, place, and time in a detailed manner | Mobile devices that use Indoor Positioning Systems IPS, NFC, RFID, mobile/social data, and Wifi networks can identify a consumer as they move through a showroom floor, down to the inch. |
| 3D Printing | Technology that empowers manufacturing of 3D objects and production anywhere. | MakerBot, 3D systems, Affinia, Formlabs, Stratasys, and now replicator technology quickly scans, and copies a 3D item. |
| Collaborative Consumption | Web and mobile apps that enable users to share, rent, borrow, and gift products and services with low friction transactions. | AirBnb, Lyft, Uber, see my list of 200, and brand examples. |
| Gesture Based Interfaces | Technology that senses movement, and causes digital systems to respond. Computer interfaces and sensors will emerge causing keyboards and mice to fade away. | Leap, Kinnect and other technologies give path to a minority report experience. Eye tracking software such as Tobbi and retina tracking software even in store emerge. |
| Augmented Reality | A layer of information is placed on top of our reality plan, using digital glasses, empowering users to access and transmit real time digital information. | Google Glass (we’re on beta test list) will emerge and empower consumers to access Google interfaces as they traverse world. |
| Virtual Reality | Unlike Augmented Reality, this is an immersive experience across many senses that digital replicates sight, sound, feel. | Oculus Rift, Stanfords VR Lab (I’ve visited) provide immersive headsets that simulate a world |
| Quantified Self | Also called wearable computing, these body reading sensors harvest, analyze, and provide insight to how our bodies are working. | Body API, Nike Fuel Band, Nike+, Fitbit Garmin, Runkeeper, most mobile devices track our movements. |
| Quantified World, Internet of Things | Technologies that capture data from around the world, cities, and nature to analyze and predict future patterns. | Open data economy, data in mobile networks and mobile devices, telematics in cars, Nest thermostat, and thousands of other sensors are actively collecting data and altering our world. hat tip Michael Fraietta for IOT reference. |
| Digital Screen Experiences | There are evolutions happening to digital screens, from flexible screens that can morph to anything, to digital output devices everywhere, and 3D technology. | 4k resolution (higher res than HDTV), 3D TVs, flexible OLED screens |
| Power Everywhere | Wireless power, solar power, and efficient power sources enable transportation, devices, enable more computing, sensing, and information spread. | Powermat, Powertrekk, eCoupled provide wireless power | Drones and Automated Robots | Technology is empowering for humans to man aerial drones to also create self-driving cars, warehouse robots, and more. The impacts to business, technology, government, privacy, and warfare are just starting to surface. | ARDrone (I owned version 1), Google’s self driving car, and Amazon’s robot warehouse are just the start of the automated planet. Submission provided by Annalie Killian |
| Leave a comment below | ? | ? |
Next Steps
These technologies will continue to arrive at an accelrated pace, while many corporations will not be able to react to these companies, there’s already a growing list of companies that are investing in physical innovation labs. I kicked off this list with 10 distinct technology sets, I look forward to reading your comments, and adding them to this list. I’ll be sure to credit those who participate.
Image Credits used with creative commons attribution by WVS
The internet of things. Open-sourced computers and microcontrollers increasingly becoming attached to and embedded within physical items. Contributes heavily to the quantified world. Combine with 3D printing and crowd-funding for manufacturing disruption. Arduino, Buglabs.
Personal Business Intelligence. Empowered mobile employees are adopting new tools to help them manage their personal and business information without having to search using disparate tools or disconnected information sources. It was difficult enough when we were trying to process 100s of emails/day. Now more and more of our critical information is scattered across different systems and no one can find the critical piece of information when they need it most.
what about Personal Assistants?
Autonomous technologies like Google’s self-driving car
I would add the use of Prediction Markets to augment (and eventually replace) focus groups / surveys because prediction markets can provide both a quantitative feedback loop (in the form of accurately forecasted outcome based on the “wisdom of crowds”) and also qualitative feedback loops (in the form of actionable insights from the participants while forecasting outcomes and ranking preferences).
Crowd sourced capital markets. Ex. Kickstarter
I think one of the most disruptive technology is free education web platform. Starting by moodle and transform it into coursera or khan academy by instan, it´s going to change the way people get a degree and moreover I think is going to be a great breakthrough in all level of education front primary to PHD level
3d printing is disruptive, but has been around a while, same with drones, they were disruptive in the late 90’s, and again when the Hellfire missile was strapped to it in 2003 or 4. Micro drones are disruptive, now. Flexible OLED displays will be disruptive, but not quite yet. Most of these others I have not heard of. Other disruptive technologies not listed included engineered tissues, the convergence of imaging systems, tunable VCEL lasers.
Nano-robotics from my side for addition, intelligence to the micron! applications ranging from micro-surgery to micro-construction and sensor-gathering right within the human bloodstream…
Tobii, the eye-tracking company, spelled wrong
Nanotechnology, materials can now be modified at a molecular level to create new, better “ideal” materials such as the ultra ever dry polymer which is resistant to bacteria, moist and dust, with ideal applications in construction, healthcare and even in the fashion design business and many many others
Teleportation –
“Scientists in Cambridge have made a quantum leap that could lead to the creation of futuristic, superfast computers capable of teleportation.
Experts from Cambridge University and other researchers around the world are trying to find a way of teleporting quantum information “ sending huge amounts of data at incredible speed from one place to another.”
Teleportation could change the way we currently share info and open a new era in communications and data travel.
Comment by: Tito Sosa
tito.sosa69@gmail.com