Top Technology Highlights of 2015

It’s been a great year for tech and the gadget obsessed amongst you have been spoiled for choice. Wearables finally became cool, the usual plethora of app releases kept us focused on our smart devices and there were some major advances in health.

Here’s our top tech highlights of 2015:

1. Robotic Hands

This year breakthroughs in prosthetic technology combined with hi-tech to create, among other things, a hand that could feel. The device worked by being connected to the patient’s brain, enabling him to move the fingers and also sense when the device was touched.

2. The Rise of the Drone

This year has also seen a big surge in drone development with new models coming onto the market and even Amazon taking them up as a viable option for delivering parcels. Drones fitted with HD cameras are changing the way we view the world, used in sports events and even taken up by the police in some forward thinking countries.

3. Self-Driving Cars

There are a number of tech organisations working on the driverless car, one that can get you to your destination safely whilst you sit back and read a book. Google are well on the way with their prototype but others such as Tesla are not that far behind. Why does it matter? For people who aren’t able to drive because of age, disability or a host of other reasons, the self-driver gives them the opportunity to be more independent.

4. Apps for Everything

Android and iOS apps have continued to grow and we can get smart solutions for almost anything from tracking blood pressure to controlling home heating. For those worried about getting enough fresh air in their city location you can download CleanSpace for free or if you want to better manage your dosh there’s Money Dashboard. The key in 2015 has been developing apps that make life easier.

5. Robotics 2.0 and Neuromorphic Engineering

Advances in robotics this year have been nothing short of astounding with concepts such as emergent AI where devices can learn from large amounts of stored information and begin making decisions that are unnervingly human in nature. Then you have neuromorphic engineering that is designed to mimic the nervous system of humans.

6. 3D Printing

One of the technological advances that has been sitting on the fringes in recent years has been 3D printing. Once an expensive and time consuming process, printers have become quicker, more diverse and are now available for the home.

7. Medical Technology

Improving how we deliver medical practice is beginning to make a real difference to people’s lives. Not only has technology allowed us to better map the human genome so that we can make more focused decisions on health, technologies such as wearable apps and 3D printing are helping to make good healthcare more widely available.

8. Virtual Reality Gaming

It’s been a long road to bring the tech of virtual reality together with gaming but it finally seems to be getting there. Experimental games such as The Climb have begun to take consumers literally to new heights, and there is a plethora of headsets out there of varying quality including Valve HTC Vive. Not all VR has been in the gaming arena in 2015, sports events could be benefiting in the near future, giving you a ring side seat that’s as good as the real thing.

9. Tech Integration with Fashion and Retail

If you want people to buy more product you’ve got to hit them at home as well as in the shopping precinct. There’s probably more to come in 2016 with tech that can monitor you as you move from shop to shop and send you push notifications about your favourite products and can even tell what kind of shoes you wear. XBox have already led with Kinetic 2 that allows you to try before you buy in the comfort of your own home and a simple iPhone app like Makeup Genius allows you to put on lipstick, eyeshadow and blusher before you get out your digital wallet.

10. Recharge on the Move

Ever have trouble with a smart device that’s low on battery and you’re miles from the nearest plug point. Gadgets like the Ampy use your own walking motion to provide an electric charge and can handle anything that has a USB port. A long walk will charge your phone for the next three hours or you can get the same amount of power from a 30-minute bike ride.