It is hard for my children to believe that the launch of everyday items like personal computers, cell phones, video games, and digital wristwatches only happened during my lifetime.

I wonder in what way will current technological developments bring change in my children’s lives. Fascinating technological developments crossed my path recently.

Electric cars

In Switzerland, the increase in electric cars is accelerating at a high rate. Currently, 26 % of newly registered cars are electric rechargeable models. The goal is to increase this percentage to 50% in 2025. The government’s proposed environmental legislation to reduce CO2 significantly drives this goal.

As a result, we see more Tesla vehicles on the road. One of Charl’s colleagues with a Tesla uses the option where the vehicle drives itself. He admitted that it was difficult to hand over control. However, the opportunity it creates for him to be able to work on his way to the office makes this option worthwhile.

The latest trend is also to lease vehicles rather than buy them. Leasing allows one to drive a brand-new model covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. It also creates the possibility of travelling in a more expensive, better-equipped vehicle than you would otherwise be able to afford.

Hospitality industry

A friend, Linda, recently spent the night at Zurich airport to catch an early connecting flight. She stayed over at the Alpine Garden – Capsule Hotel. The concept amazed me.

Guests spend the night in a capsule. Your bed is for your privacy, but the rest of the beautifully decorated areas are for shared use. The bathroom even has a jacuzzi. They have automated all processes, including check-in, unlocking your capsule with a code, and getting breakfast.

I suspect we can expect many future changes in the hospitality industry. There is a much greater focus on automation, sensitivity to environmental impact and effectiveness. The Airbnb concept, introduced in 2008, was already a different way of thinking.

Cryptocurrency

Nowadays, many young people invest their money in cryptocurrency (crypto). My generation saw property, shares, or pension funds as investment opportunities.

Crypto is a digital payment system that does not rely on banks to verify transactions. Instead of physical money exchanged in the real world, cryptocurrency payments exist simply as digital entries to an online database that describe specific transactions.

Bitcoin was the first decentralized cryptocurrency. Since March 2022, more than 9,000 other cryptocurrencies have been in the market. Crypto fluctuates a lot, and I must confess that my nerves are not strong enough for this type of investment.

Metaverse

The Metaverse concept is one that really fascinates me, and I recently got a glimpse of it.

As I understand it, Metaverse is a shared, online space where users interact with each other and computer-generated objects and avatars. It is a virtual world that exists alongside the physical world. It creates a new way for people to use the internet and changes web content from 2D to three-dimensional objects. Users will have a visual and physical experience by using virtual reality headsets. Metaverse is, therefore, a place where virtual 3D worlds integrate.

Metaverse will have its own economic system and currency. People can own metaverse property and design spaces based on creativity and imagination. In the Metaverse world, the system will use NFTs as digital representations of tangible items, such as works of art and other assets. NFTs will improve the buying and selling process and reduce fraud risk.

Zander and I visited an exhibition at the Zurich airport, where we could experience a virtual world and NFTs on display.

It’s hard for me to wrap my head around this futuristic concept. Christo and Zander enjoyed playing computer games such as Minecraft, where players build virtual items for their avatars to use. For me, this is the closest example I have to visualize Metaverse.

Technological innovation, like art, is a product of the human imagination and impacts society significantly. Even though I sometimes struggle to keep up with technology, the social impact of these changes fascinates me tremendously.

regards

Emsia