It can be tricky keeping up with the latest round of technology due to the constant flow of news about current and potential big breakthroughs in many areas, from health to computing and wearables. For the last two years, tech news has been dominated by the rapid growth of AI, which continues to be the star of the show.
But other big technologies have appeared on the scene as well this year and have been thriving, as technology does not stand still. A good example of how fast things move is found when taking a look at how far the online gambling industry has come in a short span of time.
From simple, classic-style three-reel slot machines, online games have progressed enormously. It’s now common to find network-linked progressive jackpots and modern slots such as Jackpot 6000 that boast mini-games and a glittering array of other gaming features. Live dealer casino table games have taken the industry even further.
But technological advances are not only about gadgets that in some way make life easier or a little more entertaining. Much of the thriving new technology is based on meeting greater needs, and therefore harbors a bigger reason for existing, as opposed to just being cool. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the great breakthroughs of the year.
Improving solar panels
In late 2023, there was a big breakthrough in solar technology, as one of the biggest jumps in efficiency in the technology came with the use of perovskite tandem solar cells. The technology uses a unique crystal structure that absorbs different light wavelengths from silicon cells – the type currently used in the majority of solar panels around the world.
Because more of the natural light can be absorbed by the perovskite, it leads to greater efficiency and power conversion to electricity than the existing silicon-based models. Potentially being used to produce more power at less cost and further aiding the reduction of carbon emissions, this is the new big thing in alternative energy. There are already startups running using the crystals, and the technology is one of the biggest growth areas in the industry.
New supercomputers
Frontier was launched in 2022 as the fastest supercomputer in the world. Essentially, it has the processing power to match what 100,000 laptops can do in one second, in the same amount of time. Frontier is a revolutionary exascale machine, as it surpassed the exaflop barrier. An exaflop is one quintillion floating point operations per second.
Remarkably, 2024 is going to see another huge step forward in this new technology, as Europe’s first exascale computer, called Jupiter, will be up and running later in the year in Germany. Two new machines in the USA, which are going to be twice as fast as Frontier, will also go online.
Every four years, on average, supercomputer technology gets 10 times faster. This is a massive jump, and already Oak Ridge, the developers of Frontier, are deep in the development of their new machine that will be five times faster than their pioneering model.
Apple Vision Pro
Launched earlier this year, Apple Vision Pro has been the big cool gadget for people to get their hands on in 2024 – and it has been flying off the shelf. It has been reported that around 200,000 of the units sold within 10 days of it hitting the market.
After years of development, it’s seen as the ultimate wearable device available, combining the digital with the real world. One of the biggest features of this mixed reality headset is that it has an external display as well, allowing an outsider to view a representation of what the user is experiencing.
Controlling apps give the user endless connectivity for work, play and learning, and it comes complete with special audio. It was Apple’s biggest new product launch since the Apple Watch in 2015, and it hasn’t disappointed fans of the brand.
Capturing carbon
Microbial carbon capture technology is also thriving at the moment as science turns towards microorganisms in the battle against greenhouse and exhaust gasses. The right organisms can convert the pollution into biofuels and animal feed. There’s a stack of research going into this at the moment as startups strive to deal with cleaning up the planet.
Heat pumps
With the challenges that rising temperatures bring to the globe, new technology has been rapidly advancing in the area of heat pumps, too. These are appliances that supply both heat and cooling to buildings, and the demand for units has been soaring.
The big shift in the development of heat pumps has been in decarbonizing their output – and the new kid on the block is elastocalorics. This type of heat pump doesn’t use refrigerant gasses that are harmful to the environment, with the US Department of Energy dubbing them the “most promising alternative to current systems”.
Using nickel and titanium as sort of elastic materials, electrocaloric heat pumps use mechanical stress to control the output of heat or cooling. These are highly efficient models that can work even without an electricity grid infrastructure, which is huge.
The age of AI
But still, the driving force behind almost everything we see now is AI. Launched back in 2022 when OpenAI unleashed ChatGPT into the world, it has changed the landscape of being online. We are now in the Age of AI, with all the major tech companies like Google, Meta and Microsoft getting on board with its development.
In just about all areas of life, from gaming to automobiles, organizing the workday, enhancing photography and tracking fitness, AI is running the show. It has even shifted gear into smartphones as well, with the new Apple iOS being heavy-handed with the integration of AI.
Companies are relying more and more on it for targeted marketing and predicting shoppers’ behavior. AI is here to stay and will continue to drive innovation and be behind many of the next big technology breakthroughs.
