It is that time again when the crystal ball is dusted off for a peek at 2016 and beyond. On this occasion I have included two short videos for you to get a feel of what to expect.

You may as a result wonder where the heck it is all going, and with so many more new products or development of already existing devices to add to the list, that the technology of the coming years will intrude even more into our lives. Can we cope?

Of course we can, we don’t have to take on-board everything offered, we have the choice to limit our use of tech to what is useful to our lifestyle and wellbeing. Do you need one of the new wearables, smartwatches or a for that matter a 3D printer?  or a camera that take pictures in 3D and 360 degrees or a suit or dress made from nano tube fibres that conduct and even create light so that it can interact with electronics?

2016 will be big on VR, virtual reality that is, the major producers are Oculus Rift owned by Facebook, Microsoft with  their version HoloLens, HTC Vive, and Sony VR, and no doubt others will follow. This new form for immersing oneself into a virtual reality is undoubtedly going to appeal for entertainment and could be as addictive as drugs.

Smartphones, tablets, big 4K ultra HD TVs will still attract newcomers, but new materials such as silicene coupled with graphene will make it possible to produce computers that are lighter, faster and stronger than at present.

With so many new cars fitted with driver aids of various kinds the automotive electronics area can also expect a growth boost as can Cyber security standards. In the latter area we may see passwords disappear [about time] in preference for biological makeup such as eye scans or even voice recognition.

We already have OLED technology that allows lights to be printed on just about any surface and we have robots that nearly pass for humans, and humans experimenting with implanting electronic devices.

Must’n forget the Internet of Things moving towards controlling everything inside your house, lights, safety, heating, security and of course your fridge to tell you what you are out of.

There is so much more going on that it is almost fair to say that the world we know today and what it will be 10 years from now will be unrecognisable for a child born today, and for the rest of us a very different world.

Enjoy today and have a happy and prosperous New Year.