The future of devices

Jonathan Mitchener is a research scientist at BT and a regular contributor to the Gadgetzone columns which can be found elsewhere on these ‘innovation’ pages. Here, he discusses his recently published white paper, Future Consumer Electronics & Devices.

The future of devices

By Jonathan Mitchener, principal research scientist, BT

Most of us would agree that the devices we use as consumers have come a long way in the past ten years.

In fact, our lives have been enriched by the availability and affordability of the gadgets we use everyday – from smartphones to MP3 players to satnavs.

And that includes those of us who possess integrated smartphones with music, satellite navigation and all sorts of other features and applications (apps) built-in or added on.

But my view is that the next ten years will see an even greater pace of evolution when it comes to gadgets.

As I’ve outlined in my white paperlooking at device trends and the future of the technologies that make up devices, we will welcome the introduction of whole new classes of devices that will communicate with each other just as much as they do with their human users.

What’s more, driving factors such as cost, convenience, choice and simplicity will result in the emergence of devices that exist as co-operating separate parts as opposed to the all-in-one converged ‘bricks’ we see today. These co-operative devices will consist of several components that become simpler to use and understand by the user. And because the components will be shared between devices, economies of scale dictate that they will be cheaper to produce.

In the coming years we will see disruptive technologies which will enable devices to give their users more power than ever before – all the while consuming less power themselves. There will also be a conspicuous increase in the number of immersive and natural ways in which users can interact with machines – for example, through gesture recognition.

In addition, the way devices are used and shared will be affected by the advent of mainstream wearable technology as well as technology which resides in the living spaces around people. For example, our living and working environments will be characterised by networks of powerful sensor devices giving consumers instant access to information, communication and entertainment services like never before.

And nanotechnology will reach a stage of maturity which permits tiny devices to be commonly deployed inside and outside the human body.

Powerful processing

In my white paper I also examine the basic components of consumer electronic components, indicating the directions in which these are headed.

For example, I look at how and why processors will continue to get faster. One of the reasons will be the use of carbon nanotube technology to replace copper wires in the computer chips of tomorrow. This will reduce the resistance of interconnections and provide for lower power and higher throughput.

Another specific area set for major advancement is displays. Touch screens will become cheaper to manufacture and at larger sizes and higher resolutions. This will enable touch screens to be built into larger devices such as furniture or walls and doors.

One other important aspect debated is interaction. As already mentioned, the way people interact with their devices will change over time. We are already seeing some notebook computer track pads offer gesture-based input as well as touch screens. When combined with camera input and facial gesture recognition, it will make for even more natural interaction between a consumer and his or her devices.

The paper also identifies ways in which devices get their power will also change. The world of research is already looking closely at how light can harness energy. In addition, obtaining energy from ambient radio waves will become increasingly common as will the use of more biological principles to generate energy that can power devices – emulating the human body..

Further key issues discussed include connectivity which will continue to evolve - especially when it comes to wireless technology. For example, wireless USB is on its way and will assist with peripheral connectivity and Ultra Wide band (UWB) technology will provide some radar-like device positioning capability as well as simultaneous connectivity.

And what’s also worth noting is that connectivity will be important not just between devices, but between individual device components as complex gadget become divided into a collection of parts – as mentioned previously.

My paper Future Consumer Electronics & Devices discusses all of the above and more, in greater detail and can be downloaded as a PDF file.