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It is a new year and the technology world abounds with evolving innovations and promising possibilities. With so many innovative technologies standing on the cusp of changing our daily lives and transforming different sectors, our team here at Mouser recently weighed in on the technology we’re looking forward to in 2024. Here are our unofficial “staff picks” for advances we expect to see in the coming year!
We’ve long been fascinated with the promise of a smart home, and some of our engineers have even been working on their own version. Fortunately, interoperability and integration are “in,” and incompatibility is finally moving out. With the release of Matter in 2022, diverse devices can be set up fast and play nicely using one hub or a smartphone. With Matter, there’s an opportunity to expand without relying on a specific ecosystem. There are more connectivity options, especially given the newest update, Matter 1.2, which now includes appliances and safety devices. Moving into 2024, we’re excited to see greater adoption of the smart home concept and the inclusivity enabled by Matter as updates continue to roll out.
While we hesitate to bring up generative AI since every thought leader has weighed in on how it will positively change the world (or destroy it), one of our engineers recently identified an exciting new use case—the rapid access of recipes.
“Because recipes look alike, and Google’s algorithm rewards original content, food bloggers write a ton of information before embedding the recipe in their posts, showing why their potato soup recipe is more unique and tastier than thousands of others online. I just want to see the recipe without the frustration of the long story, and I always search for the ‘jump to recipe’ buttons hidden within the banner ads. However, when I asked ChatGPT for a potato soup recipe, I got a no-frills answer and am whipping up something good much faster and without the hassle.”
How often do we reset our password because we forget it or use one woefully ineffective against hackers and suffer the consequences? Analysts at Gartner predict that “by 2025, more than 50 percent of the workforce and more than 20 percent of customer authentication transactions will be passwordless.”1 What seems to be happening is that, on the one hand, AI is now fueling increasingly complex cyberattacks. On the other hand, there’s a push for new standards and greater security with an AI-based approach to biometric solutions. So far, large consumer organizations, including Google, Instacart, LinkedIn, PayPal, TikTok, Whatsapp, and X, are already implementing passkeys, and that momentum should blossom in 2024. In the face of nuanced cyberattacks posing new challenges, taking the responsibility out of our individual hands really makes sense.
This is downright fascinating. Brain-computer interface (BCI) applications are exploding. Headlines consistently announce that BCIs are delivering game-changing hope for stroke, paralysis, and injury patients. Where are we in the process? Moving pretty fast. Elon Musk’s Neuralink, for example, is actively recruiting for its first human clinical trial for a fully implantable, wireless BCI with an investigational device exemption (IDE) awarded by the FDA. Beyond advances on the medical front in 2024, it will be interesting to watch how rapidly non-medical applications also pick up speed.
BCI technology is quickly extending its reach beyond medical applications to exciting areas like communication, education, and entertainment. As we head into 2024, we’re on the verge of seeing some amazing stuff. BCIs might soon let us control gadgets just by thinking about them, which could really change the game for daily experiences. Think about how this could revolutionize gaming and VR—we’re talking about next-level immersion here. Plus, using BCIs to enhance learning and cognitive abilities is huge. It’s not just about the cool factor; these developments are opening up some serious conversations about the interaction between humans and computers.
We increasingly coexist with robots, but so far, they still pretty much work for us. They pick and place their way through warehouses, pour drinks, and perform search and rescue—all in mimic mode.
This year, we will see the potential of robotics build on advances made in 2023, such as the creation of a supercomputer called DeepSouth, which is expected to perform approximately 228 trillion synaptic operations per second in 2024—very close to the capabilities of a human mind. DeepSouth is being developed by Australian researchers with the hope of contributing to progress in sensing, biomedical research, robotics, space exploration, and large-scale AI apps. So, will robots take the next step by learning to take on new challenges without human intervention? It will be exciting (or frightening) to watch.
Integrating robots into our daily lives is becoming more sophisticated and complex. 2024 is expected to be a pivotal year where robots begin to exhibit capabilities that blur the lines between automated tools and autonomous decision-makers. With advancements like AI-driven robots capable of learning and adapting to new environments, the traditional human/robot dynamic is shifting. Robots are now poised to undertake more complicated tasks, such as intricate problem-solving and executing decisions based on real-time data analysis. This evolution is not just limited to industrial settings but also permeates everyday life, reshaping our interactions with technology.
Of course, these aren’t the only advances expected in 2024. We’ll see environmental technology, quantum computing, and other technologies take off as well. The ones mentioned here present possibilities we’re particularly excited about, especially given their broad impact for individuals and society.
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Carolyn Mathas is a freelance writer/site editor for United Business Media’s EDN and EE Times, IHS 360, and AspenCore, as well as individual companies. Mathas was Director of Marketing for Securealink and Micrium, Inc., and provided public relations, marketing and writing services to Philips, Altera, Boulder Creek Engineering and Lucent Technologies. She holds an MBA from New York Institute of Technology and a BS in Marketing from University of Phoenix.