By Research Guru | January 14, 2016 at 04:55 PM EST |
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Drones and Robots were not part of our predictions for 2016. This is because they are already here. It was a prediction for last year.
Roomba vacuums have now been around for years. What is coming is where robots to mow your lawn are actually affordable. Perhaps driveable drone cars in the near future too.
A lot of research has gone into these items although we are only recently seeing an uptick in market research about drones and robots in the mainstream.
With new technology this is backwards. Google glasses technology has been around since the 1990s. Getting people to understand and use Google glasses requires its own separate research. This research then informs product developers on ways to educate people "why" and "how" they might use the technology has been late to appear. Especially in the mainstream. The problem often stems from researchers, engineers and genius folks understanding it and not understanding why "buyers" or "potential customers" are not excited. I reason it is like Sheldon from Big Bang comes up with a great product and doesn't want to understand buyers point of view because they are stupid. Hence the disconnect from Sheldon's product ever making any money even though it may be a "genius" idea. I moderated focus groups on Google glasses, robots, kiosks, robot doctors in the 1990s. Many research practitioners have our hands tied as we only do what we are paid to do...
What's interesting to me today is how these technologies are getting comfy enough that people might just save a life and improve our lives with these technologies. In fact, I predict that in the next five years you will know someone whose life has been saved by robot technology. Just look at the lifeguard robot below saving refugees! (cut and paste link in browser if it does not launch)
www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/greece-uses-drones-robotic-lifeguards-rescue-shipwrecked-refugees