There’s plenty to look forward to in the New Year as tech trends continue to surge forward, getting faster, better and much more interactive. Expect 3D printing to come into its own and computer learning from big data to go into the stratosphere. There isn’t one part of our lives that is going to be left untouched by a worldwide technology growth that is finally delivering far reaching benefits.

The Rise of Haptic Feedback

Robots and devices are going to start feeling more in 2016. Haptic feedback is the key to better gaming and robot control and has begun really to take off since 2013. It will have a variety of other uses, for example, providing a better online experience by allowing users to ‘feel’ the material of a particular product. It can be used in specially designed insoles to help people with walking issues balance better. It can even be used in prosthetic limbs to give a semblance of feeling.

Games for Mental Health

A number of companies are beginning to develop serious games that can help people with various mental health issues such as attention deficit disorder, depression and autism. Some of these are going through clinical trials at the moment but it seems that 2016 could be the year when these developments start making a big difference to people’s lives.

3D Comes to the Party

It’s been bubbling around for a while now but 3D printing is set to explode in the next year or so. We’ve been more used to stories about someone printing out a gun or even a car, but, with a wider range of options now available, we will see it being used more for medical prosthetics, surgical procedures and building engine parts.

Gathering More Data from our Lives

While it may be a little disconcerting, tech is going to be gathering much more data about our lives and what we get up to. With almost 25 billion smart phones and devices plugged into Wi-Fi around the world there will be an abundance of information and the companies that use it the most intelligently are the ones that are going to succeed in the future.

Machine Learning Goes Ballistic

All this data will be going into machines that can actually learn from it. AI has been around since the early 70s and the Holy Grail has always been to develop devices that are able to learn on their own. That is becoming a real possibility now and could lead to major developments in technology in the next few years as we head into the age of the Internet of Things.

Security and Predictive Algorithms

Of course, the perennial problem is how we keep everyone safe and secure in this highly connected world with hacking attacks expected to rise quickly in the future. It’s the number one priority for most companies and the normal plan has been a defensive strategy to combat cyber threats. That may be set to change as companies develop proactive approaches that involve predictive modelling to solve problems before they occur. Businesses are going to have to build security into everything and therein lies the most significant challenge as our tech level rises ever more quickly.