A Look Back at the Top Breakthrough Technologies of 2016

Over the past year or so, we have seen amazing advancements in artificial intelligence, sensors, virtual reality, robotics, and more. Everything from coding websites to harnessing energy is becoming so advanced that it’s almost frightening. Virtual/augmented reality in particular is literally changing the way we live and view the world around us.

Before we can begin to guess what 2017 has in store for technology, here is a look back at some of the breakthroughs and developments of 2016:

Robots/AI - The concept of robots is not new. According to a report from Stanford Computer Science, the first known instance of a mechanical device being built occured some 5,000 years ago! While we still don’t have C3PO and R2D2 type robots just yet, 2016 saw the introduction of some robots that learn tasks and pass that knowledge onto other robots by uploading it to the cloud. Future robots will have access to that knowledge database as well.

Cars that drive themselves - This is no longer in the realm of science fiction. There really are self-driving vehicles now. Major car manufacturers have announced that they will follow in the footsteps of Tesla. Like the robots, these cars will learn information from one another about bad driving habits of humans and the layout of roads and landscapes.

Slack - This intra-office messaging system is one of the fastest-growing workplace software in the world. Since the launch in 2013, the number of Slack daily users has surpassed two million. In 2014, a post on The Verge referred to it as “the fastest growing workplace software ever” It’s grown even more popular and advanced in 2015 and 2016, much in part due to its innovative solution for team communication, with options for both open channels and invite-only private channels. The software’s robust search functionality allows users to find key information quickly.

Node.js - While it’s been around for some years now, the popularity of this platform started to really grow in 2016. A lot of programmers have even been abandoning Python for it. Node.js is currently being taught in advanced courses such as those offered by the Austin Coding Academy. One of the reasons for its popularity is that it uses JavaScript both on the client side and server side, meaning that developers only have to talk in one language across all layers.

Augmented and virtual reality - The hardware or virtual/augmented content by itself is worthless; the two of these need to be combined in order for augmented and virtual reality to be experienced. Pokemon Go proved that the world is ready for augmented reality. Now, the gaming industry isn’t the only industry wanting to get involved in AR and VR. The sports industry, for instance, has been doing training research with virtual reality. Also, YouTube now has its official 360 Degree/VR video channel.

Wearables - Wearables have been everywhere lately, on everyone. While portable audio players, earbuds, and fitness trackers have been around for years, who could have ever imagined that Android watches, GPS watches, activity trackers, glasses with sensors, etc… would become a thing?

If there’s one thing that could be said about 2016, is that technology is REALLY becoming an integral part of life. “Reality” as we’ve known it will never be the same.

Michael Peggs is the founder of Marccx Media, a digital marketing agency specializing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). Before Marcxx, Peggs worked at Google in business development, forming digital media and advertising partnerships in the United States and Asia. He is also a contributor to The Huffington Post, FastCompany and Business Insider as well as and podcaster, hosting the iTunes Top 10 New & Noteworthy Podcast You University.