Year in Review: Top 10 Technologies That Emerged in 2017

Technology is all about advancement and to build a better future for ourselves. The daily impact of technologies in our life is just undeniable. As the Earth is revolving around the Sun, Technologies are also revolving around the World. So far we have seen some cutting-edge technologies in 2017 and we are lucky enough to witness them. Now 2017 is coming to an end and we are all eagerly waiting to welcome 2018 with a hope for better tomorrow. Before that, we must take a look back to our yesterdays. So we have compiled a list of “Top 10 Technologies that Emerged in 2017”. With wasting any more time let’s have a look at our list.

Top 10 Technologies That Emerged in 2017

1. 18:9 Displays

If we are talking tech then how can we miss smartphones? 2017 has been the year of Smartphones and we have seen 18:9 displays (aka Infinity, Fullview, Fullvision) capturing our eyes with wonders. It is pretty amazing to see such big displays are existing on small form factors and making our devices look more beautiful. From high-end devices to entry-level devices, by the end of 2017, we are seeing tall 18:9 displays everywhere. LG G6 was the first phone to feature this kind of display but after releasing Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 plus, the hype touched the sky.

2. Apple A11 Bionic Chip

In 2017, with the release of new Apple devices, Apple A11 Bionic Chip revealed. The Apple A11 Bionic Chip is a 64-bit ARM-based Custom SOC designed by Apple. Apple used this chip on iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. After revealing the new processor’s capabilities, It quickly made the headlines because of groundbreaking benchmark results.

With A11 Bionic, Apple has designed the most powerful and revolutionary smartphone processor until now. The A11 has neural network hardware that Apple calls a “neural engine”, which can perform up to 600 billion operations per second, used for Face ID, Animoji and AR (Augmented Reality) like more complex tasks. The processor is so Powerful that it outperforms every other top-tier smartphones’ processors.

3. Sophia

Sophia is a humanoid robot developed by Hong Kong-based Company Hanson Robotics. A humanoid is a robot with its body shape to resemble the human body. She has interests in business and has met face-to-face with industry leaders from banking, insurance, auto manufacturing, property development, media, and entertainment industries.

Sophia is an evolving genius machine and her incredible human likeness, expressiveness, and intelligence are defining future course of the humanoids. Sophia gained more attention when she received citizenship of Saudi and that move made Saudi Arabia, the first country in the world to give a robot citizenship. Though there are many controversies, Sophia is a true reflection of future course.

4. Self Driving Cars

It is something that we are hearing from a long time and in 2017 it became much closer to the reality. The idea of Self Driving or AI-powered cars is for a better tomorrow. The potential benefits include reduced mobility and infrastructure costs, increased safety, increased mobility, increased customer satisfaction and reduced crime.

In 2017, Audi stated that its latest A8 would be autonomous using its “Audi AI”. The Audi would be the first manufacturer to use laser scanners in addition to cameras and ultrasonic sensors for their system. Not only big automobile companies but tech giants like Google and Apple is also trying to make AI-Powered self-driving cars. 

5. Bitcoin

Cryptocurrency or Bitcoin it is now making a real buzz around the world. After 8 Years of existing, in 2017 people are actually recognizing the potential of this currency. Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency and worldwide payment system and the first decentralize digital currency. The network is peer-to-peer and transactions take place between users directly through the use of cryptography.

These transactions are verified through network nodes and recorded in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain. The value of bitcoin has gone up to 19,000 Dollars and no one can actually predict the static value as of now. There are some interesting facts worth mentioning about the bitcoins.

1. In 2012, a guy bought 2 pizzas which cost 27 Dollars but he paid in 10,000 bitcoins and today it is equal 1,000 Crore Rupees.
2. The true inventor of bitcoin is still unknown.
3. One bitcoin transaction uses as much energy as your house in a week.

6. Deep Learning & Machine Learning

Deep learning is part of a broad family of machine learning methods which have played a major role in AI’s recent achievements. Machine learning gives computers the ability to learn by ingesting and analyzing large amounts of data instead of being explicitly programmed. Basically, that means the machine can learn things by analyzing the data with increasing use. One biggest example of 2017 is Pixel 2‘s camera.

While other companies are going with the dual camera system to capture better images, Google showed their faith in Machine learning. So far Pixel 2’s camera is leading the industry with the help of AI. Pixel 2’s camera can capture wonderful pictures and can also produce most accurate portrait shots with just a single lens. The camera will be improving more and more by time and all that is possible for Machine learning technology.

7. Smart Speakers

Smart Speakers: a wireless speaker with an integrated virtual assistant or AI. It offers interactive actions and hands-free activation with the help of one or several hot words. It is almost like you are talking to someone just sitting right beside you. Yes, that’s right, it has improved a lot with time and in 2017 it gained quite an attraction. There are many Smart Speakers are available on the market like Amazon Alexa enabled Amazon Echo, Apple Siri enabled Apple Homepod, Google Assistant enabled Google Home, and Microsoft Cortana enabled Harmon Kardon Invoke.

8. 4K HDR Gaming

The term 4K derived from the fact that the film industry reached a 4096×2160 resolution. Since most monitors and TVs use a 16:9 ratio, the resolution scaled down to 3840x2160p also known as UHD. 4K has improved image clarity and sharpness support over the large displays. HDR stands for high dynamic range. HDR increases the contrast between blacks and whites over traditional RGB displays. This means whites will look super bright, and blacks will look very dark and Colors will also look much more vibrant. With the release of Xbox One S and PS4 Pro, It opened new doors for gaming with 4K HDR support.

9. 360 Degree Selfie Camera

We experience the world with 360-degree viewing with our eyes but it was not possible to emulate that with cameras until recently. Today, anyone can buy a 360-degree camera for less than $500, record a video within minutes. Now, Photos or videos with 360-degree cameras deepen the viewer’s experience of a place or an event. It is one of the greatest breakthroughs of this year.

10. ISRO’s Achievement