2018's Emerging Technologies - VR

If you blink, you might just miss them.

In the day and age of digital technology, it's hard to keep track of whats new and whats old. Here's a handy list of new and fast growing trends in the technology industry that you, as a consumer or a business, might benefit from.

Immersive technologies

By far one of the most exciting technologies that is steadily becoming available to consumers over time. Mostly designed and dreamt upon for the uses of gaming, modern Virtual & Augmented Reality has rapidly found more and more uses where the technology can be effectively utilised outside of the video game industry.

KFC were recently in the headlines for incorporating VR as part of their employee induction. Trainees would enter a virtual KFC kitchen, allowing them to learn health and safety, risks and methods without the associated risks of a real kitchen.

Skip Razzio, a clinical psychologist, has begun using VR to treat patients with psychological conditions such as PTSD, re-creating the emotions and feelings of war and helping them overcome them, or Autism, by helping people with the disability learn social skills and how to interact with people better.

The VR industry so far has seen nothing but an exponential curve in growth, from a $129m valued market in 2015, to a predicted $2.9b valued market in 2018. However, the main stunt to further growth is consumer availability. VR products, on a whole, are expensive. Whilst overtime these technologies will become cheaper due to increased competition, there are still only 2 main players in the market: Oculus and Vive.

Until this changes, VR will remain out of the hands of the average consumer and thus a danger to its future growth. Despite this, a future as pictured in the movie 'Ready Player One' is all too real.

Can you guess the next emerging technology of 2018? Find out next week!