Next 5 Life-Changing Tech Innovations

Classrooms learn you
If children can't learn the way we teach, why don't we teach the way they learn? This question captures IBM's vision for learning classrooms that track the progress of each student and then personalize coursework accordingly. Teachers naturally adapt to the needs of each student, but IBM says cloud-based systems will "go much further" by automatically creating customized lesson plans and tailoring coursework for specific careers. This will enable schools to "reach more students in more meaningful ways," says IBM. With students leaning at their own pace, we'll move beyond the tyranny of grades.

 Buying local beats buying online
Local retailers will fight back and become "better than e-tailers can ever hope to be," according to IBM, by merging the tactility and immediacy of physical retail with advances in augmented reality, wearable computing, and location intelligence. Given the sales trends of recent years, that's a pretty bold claim. But IBM says these digital tools will give customers a richer in-store experience, giving retailers an opportunity to create more immersive and personalized shopping experiences.

 

 Doctors routinely analyze DNA
No doubt you've read about individualized medicine. In the case of cancer, for example, cutting-edge healthcare organizations are personalizing treatments based on the DNA of the patient and his or her tumors. Today this approach to cancer treatment is all too rare, and even then it's time- and cost-prohibitive. IBM's bet is that within five years, DNA sequencing will take less than a day, and cloud-based systems will crunch reams of medical information to help doctors come up with individualized treatment plans.

 

 Digital guardians protect your e-life

It knows when you are surfing. It knows that you're up late. It knows when you're logged into your real bank account, and it knows when it's a fake.

This isn't some privacy-invading Santa Claus; it's IBM's vision for digital guardians that know your digital life inside and out, and it's not just talking about computer and smartphone interactions. Guardians will know your car, your house, and all your connected devices. And instead of relying on fixed rules and passwords, they'll analyze contextual, situational, and historical data to verify your identity and your actions on different devices.

 Cities will learn to be more livable

Within five years, city leaders will tap social feedback from citizens to know when and where resources are needed so the city can dynamically adapt. IBM says it has researchers working in Brazil to develop a crowdsourcing tool that allows citizens to report accessibility problems via mobile phones. That's a step toward helping people with disabilities better navigate urban streets, and with the World Cup and Summer Olympics headed to Brazil, it's a step in the right direction. You can also look forward to Internet of Things-type deployments where sensors track movement of traffic and people in transit systems, triggering traffic signals, adjustments in train schedules, and similar things to adapt and optimize.

We've already reported on Boston's pothole app and Louisville, Kentucky's, smartphone-mapped asthma-tracking app,