What is Emerging Technologies

According to Wikipedia, Emerging Technologies are disruptive technologies that are perceived to change the way of doing things on a large scale. Although they are called emerging, some technologies date way back but have been improved and are being improved on a daily basis. Science fiction is one of the biggest motivators of emerging technologies.

Where does Kenya stand when it comes to Emerging Technologies

Given that Kenya is a third-world country (as of the time this article was written), it is hard for the country to adopt emerging technologies. This is more so because she needs to fully adopt the existing technologies first in order to go ’emerging’. But as a country adopting technology very fast, some of the emerging technologies that we will talk about in a moment are already being used. Furthermore, considering that Kenya infrastructure is still undeveloped, it’s quite challenging to adopt the said emerging technologies. Below are the 10 Emerging Technologies that will change the country in order of impact.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is an interactive experience that combines real-world objects with overlaying computer-generated imagery. It differs from virtual reality which is a complete computer generated reality. Although it started over 2 decades ago, the technology has not been adopted very widely especially in less developed countries. Augmented reality would be used in Kenya for

1. An Architecture: where architects can visualize structures before building them.
2. Commerce: when shopping, a user will just need to scan a product and see a video of how it works using augmented reality.
3. Education: students, especially in a higher learning institution, are able to use that technology to learn about geometry, mathematics, structures e.t.c.

Also, See our blog on our custom software design services in Kenya

Internet of Things

The internet of things is the networking of devices that are traditionally standalone. These devices include printers, home appliances and medical equipment that are neither computers, tablets or mobile phones. Internet of things aims to make everyday devices interconnected. Example applications that could be good for the country include,

1. smart homes: with this type of technology, homeowners can monitor their homes in terms of security or energy usage by turning lights on and off.
2. Travel: interconnected vehicles can go along way in cubbing accidents by alerting drivers on incoming vehicles speed limits in case they miss the signs and other important information

3D Printing

3d printing is any of the techniques used to create 3 dimension objects with the assistance of computer-assisted design. 3d printing can help the country by reducing the time and cost of manufacturing industrial and home appliances including household items, machinery, locomotives, and clothing.

Distributed Ledger (Blockchain)

When. Someone mentions distributed ledger or blockchain, what comes to mind? Bitcoin! They are all related, a distributed ledger is a consensus of shared, replicated and synced data. One of the applications of the distributed ledger is blockchain which powers cryptocurrency es such as bitcoin(Stay with me). Unlike the existing centralized systems when data is stored in one central database/location, distributed systems are stored in departed locations making it more secure and tamper-proof. In the advanced countries, distributed systems have many applications including the all familiar bitcoin. In Kenya, however, the biggest application would be in the land sector. In 2018 – when the cryptocurrency bubble was at its peak – the communication Authority in conjunction with the land register started developing a distributed system to handle land data and in turn prevent fake title deeds. When the system is complete, any time you try to purchase a piece of land, all relevant parties (blocks) will have to approve the transaction. Unlike a central database where someone can go and change a record, in a distributed system, the record will be stored in different block which includes all the people who ever owned the land, the ministry of land, ministry of ICT and they will all need to approve the transaction using the set protocols just like how cryptocurrency works. Since I can’t explain in simpler words. Please check out this article on cryptocurrency

Cancer Vaccine

Cancer is one of the leading killer diseases in Kenya. It is ranked as number 5 by CDC top 10 killer diseases in Kenya. Although a lot of research is being done on how to eradicate it, there is no known cure if it reaches stage IV. Cancer vaccines are one the emerging technologies that – when completed – are expected to go a long way in curbing the disease.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is intelligence demonstrated by machine in contrast to intelligence demonstrated by humans or other animals. This technology has been there for some time especially in developed countries. It has however raised concerns on the ethical and security implications it posses. In 2018, Google unveiled a new AI application that mimics the work of a customer support specialist. A user would literary have a full conversation with a robot thinking they are talking to a human. This raised a lot of concerns. Nevertheless, the technology – if utilized well- can assist the country in the following fields

1. Healthcare: Artificial intelligence can help diagnose infections, recommend medications e.t.c.
2. Automotive: Artificial intelligence is powering self-driving cars that are less prone to fatigue and can reduce incidences of accidents caused by human errors
3. Finance and Economics: Artificial intelligence can be used to assist businesses and the government is planning, investments, risk assessments e.t.c.
4. Security and Military: If used well, AI will be able to assist the military in combat and provide intelligence that will be used to prevent attacks before they happen. We will mention later in the article how big data in conjunction with AI will help realize this.

NanoTechnology

Nanotechnology is the manipulation of data at an atomic or molecular level. Nanotech powers the quantum computers that are visioned to be super fast and efficient. When combined with good computing infrastructure, Nanotechnology will assist Kenyan businesses, government and Institutions process requests and information very fast

Big Data

Big data is data sets that are too large to process using the traditional means. Examples of big data in Kenya is information about people, finance, research e.t.c.  Big data is only beneficial if it’s stored, analyzed, searched, visualized and shared easily. Like mentioned earlier, artificial intelligence plays a pivotal role in handling big data. This technology and information can be used by the country to analyze trends, visualizing detailed reports on demographics and consequently making decisions

Flying Cars

This technology has not been commercially developed yet. However, it will go a great way in solving one of the countries biggest problem. Traffic. It was estimated that traffic Jam cost the country up to 1 billion shillings a year. As a matter of fact, it is getting worse without any real solution in the works. Flying cars will be a lifesaver if and when implemented.

Cultured Meat and Vertical Farming

Last but not least. Let’s look at cultured meat and verticle farming.

• Cultured meat: Basically, this is meat grown in the lab. Although not many people will love the idea of consuming such a product, it will be easy to produce such in big scale. cultured meat will go a long way in solving the food insecurity currently being experienced in the country
• Vertical Farming: is the practice of growing foods in verticle stacks. In a country where land is becoming more scarce, the technology will enable farmers to plant more food in smaller areas and fight food insecurity in the process

IN CONCLUSION

Many technologies are emerging on a daily basis. If used well, they could greatly improve Kenyan lives. Some of them are pretty young and basically science fiction. Others, on the other hand, are real and happening now.

 

 

At Truweb Solutions, we don’t create cancer vaccines or grow meat in the laboratory, but we are in the frontline when it comes to custom software design services in Kenya . We also create professional business websites