Boston-based Lux Research has ranked the 19 technologies that will reshape the world in 2019.
Here are the top five:
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence. Lux said more than 10,000 AI patents were filed in 2018.
• Wearable electrics, which are evolving beyond the smartphone to serve as connected, personalized sensors. Venture capital funding during the past five years has poured $2 billion into this sector, according to Lux.
• 3D printing, which is moving beyond prototypes to use for tooling and parts production. Lux said patent filings have soared 60 percent since 2014. Earlier this month, Ford Motor Co. showed off the plastic 3D printed brake part which will be part of standard production in its Shelby GT500.
• Genome editing. Using CRISPR and other tools can provide the next level of personalization and customization from farms to consumers to patients. Intellectual property activity has increased by seven times from five years ago, Lux said.
• Augmented reality and virtual reality. Lux said they are on the rise for training, quality, productivity improvements and other uses. More than $2 billion in venture capital funding pours in each year, the firm said.
www.luxresearchinc.com