Machines are becoming more intelligent, interactive, efficient, and precise.

Machines are becoming more intelligent, interactive, efficient, and precise. Nano-technologies are changing clothing, photonic thread is transforming computing, driverless cars are shifting the transportation paradigm, drones are altering warfare, and three-dimensional data visualization is revolutionizing decision-making. Smarter computers deliver increasingly more proficient and precise results.

Smarter

Machines are becoming progressively smarter, leading to more proficient surgery, video games, phones, cars, appliances, factories, cities, etc. Vending machines don’t just sell soft drinks and candy anymore – they now function as movie stories, restaurants, and even retail stores.[i] According to a report from FedEx, web controlled cars are expected to be on America roads by 2015.[ii]  Machines and robots like these are increasingly overtaking human jobs, such as receptionists, banking assistants, prison guards, and farmers. Drones and other robots are doing the work of the military, 900 more satellites have been launched to space for communication and navigation, and entire environments are under further control by machines. Entire factories, smart factories, will soon be operable by just a handful of individuals, and entire cities, smart cities, will have more calculated energy expenditure, public transportation, and government services. Techies are creating more fun and simplified consumer interfacing as well. Video-gamers are soon to experience mind control gaming, and smart phone owners will get improved pervasive computing, with relevant apps surfacing on screen, based on location. [iii] The pinnacle of all is Google Glass, a smart phone built into a pair of glasses.[iv] Machines of all types are getting smarter and more proficient and precise.

Micro-Technology

Technology is getting smaller, and smaller technology is getting faster. Nano-materials are improving clothing and other products, lasers are improved, neuro-enhancements are improving the brain, pharmaceutical drugs are becoming more precise and customized, and quantum mechanics is beginning to break onto the scene. Research led by the Center for Quantum Sciences at the University of Vienna for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information is developing a photonic thread that is expected to transmit information so quickly that machines would be able to process multi-dimensionally instead of linear-sequentially.[v][vi] 

Simulations & Data Visualization

Pictures are worth a thousand words, videos are worth a thousand dollars, and simulations and data visualization are worth millions of dollars. Welcome to an age where ideas can be tested without the expensive costs of manufacturing and modeling with real material, and where communication is a virtual experience. With simulations, teams are increasingly able to envision the potential impact of choices prior to massive investments. They’re able to play out entire scenarios with just a few clicks of a button and make strong collective decisions quickly. PWC’s Digital IQ names data visualization as the only analytical technique more valued than simulations. With Data visualization, virtual reality, augmented reality, and advanced display devices allow teams to interact with their data in three dimensional space, and play out scenarios for the future.[vii]

Why this matters

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” – Bill Gates [viii]

• You need technology, but your organization’s ability to utilize the right technologies in the right way, will make or break your results.
• The gap is widening between what customers expect and what is delivered to them. Most notably, there’s a 22% gap on “offers high quality products or services.” [ix]
• Smart technologies displace jobs and create other jobs.
• Smart technologies save a lot of time and money.
• Simulations and data visualization will save on manufacturing, modeling, and physical testing.
• Ethical dilemmas become more present with robot use, such as drones, self-driving cars, and personal robots, especially on taking accountability and blame out of situations of death and pain.
• Smart, micro, and simulations are proficient and precise.

How to seize the embedded opportunities

• Emphasize developing the competency and contribution pillars of The Trust Edge.
• Avoid unnecessary troubles in the early adopter stage, and wait to spend your time and money on new investments until you are confident in the value it will offer.
• Consider if there are vending machine-type robots that could help simplify your business.
• Don’t get bogged down in too much technology. Have a strong idea of your likely ROI before you get too far.
• Be sensitive to the potential jobs smart technologies could displace.
• Utilize data visualization and simulations for scenario planning.

Key opportunity for competitive advantage: data visualization

[i] The Biggest Trends in Business for 2013. Entrepreneur. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224977

[ii] Access 20: The Big Ideas Defining Global Trade. Fed Ex. http://access.van.fedex.com/access-20/

[iii] 2013 Top Ten Technology Trends for Business. Price Waterhouse Cooper. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/advisory/2013-digital-iq-survey/top-10-technology-trends-for-business.jhtml

[iv] Access 20: The Big Ideas Defining Global Trade. Fed Ex. http://access.van.fedex.com/access-20/

[v] . James Canton. Global Futures Forecast 2013. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/jcanton

[vi] 2013 Top Ten Technology Trends for Business. Price Waterhouse Cooper. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/advisory/2013-digital-iq-survey/top-10-technology-trends-for-business.jhtml

[vii] 2013 Top Ten Technology Trends for Business. Price Waterhouse Cooper. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/advisory/2013-digital-iq-survey/top-10-technology-trends-for-business.jhtml

[viii] http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/billgates104353.html. Bill Gates Quote.

[ix] Building Trust in Business 2012. Interaction Associates & Human Capital Institute. Retrieved on 20 April 2012 from http://interactionassociates.com/sites/default/files/2012%20IA%20Building%20Trust_Report.pdf