IN FOCUS

This Is Not A Test

by Sophie Kalkreuth
23 Feb 2018

What you are about to see are actual developments that are already changing the way you live your everyday life

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

1. Last-chance tourism

Last-chance tourism is set to emerge as one of the biggest trends fueling wanderlust. From millennials who travel to the Arctic to Canada’s Columbia Ice Fields to pristine countries like New Zealand, visiting endangered destinations will continue to thrive. Interest in last-chance travel will also contribute to a rise in ecotourism and sustainable hotel experiences.

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

2. Biometrics

Physical characteristics like fingerprints that can be used for automated recognition will increasingly customize our environments. In cars, for example, integrated facial recognition technology will pick up on who’s behind the wheel and automatically adjust the seat, mirrors and radio station to the driver’s preferences.

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

3. Floating Architecture

Dutch architects have built floating homes since the 17th century to keep the encroaching North Sea at bay. Now they are increasingly exporting their designs to other land-strapped and flood-prone regions. “Building on water gives us three things,” says Koen Olthius, founder of Waterstudio: “space, safety and flexibility, and a very short response time to changes we cannot foresee.”

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

4. Brain Boosters

Nootropic vitamins with brain boosting abilities are set to enter the mainstream this year. Sold as capsules or in liquid drinks, the vitamins enhance cognitive function, improve memory, increase endurance and help focus. The ingredients used are ones your system is already familiar with metabolizing (unlike caffeine), which helps to stabilize your focus levels without disrupting sleep or causing adrenal fatigue.

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

5. Smart Cities

We all know what smart technology can do to a phone. Now imagine what it can do to an entire city. Using connectivity, the ability to process huge amounts of data, and artificial intelligence, tomorrow’s urban centers will be responsive, adaptive and more like living organisms than inert sprawling congeries. Questions remain, however, about how the data harvesting ‘digital layers’, like the one proposed by Google’s Sidewalk Labs will be used and who will gain access to the data.

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

6. Digital Therapeutics

A range of digital devices for measuring the body’s statistics are set to transform how patients, particularly those who suffer from chronic conditions like diabetes or heart problems, manage and monitor their health. Some apps will replace medication with behavioral-based treatments, such visualization exercises to help insomnia sufferers; others work in conjunction with medications by helping patients better manage their treatment regimes.

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

7. Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality has already infiltrated realms of health, travel and retail. Now, London based Acute Art has launched the world’s first Virtual Reality arts platform, a gallery without walls lets viewers experience the cutting edge of interactive art anywhere in the world. The break out show features work from Olafur Eliasson, Jeff Koons, and Anish Kapoor. Memberships start at US $9.99 / month.

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

8. Fashion by co-creation

No one knows better what you want out of a garment than you (not even Big Data), which is why, in the near future, consumers will play a much more active role in the design process, says Paul Dillinger, VP of global product innovation for Levi Strauss & Co. “I’m looking forward to a future where acquisition is replaced by co-creation.”

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

9. Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs)

Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) are set to become increasingly useful by anticipating your needs before you even ask. Essentially human-emulating data hubs, devices like Siri, Cortana and Alexa will use advances in artificial intelligence to capture and interpret our data. They are even making their way into the bathroom. Kohler’s “Konnect” line features faucets and bathtubs that obey your voice commands for a hands-free bathing experience.

  • 1. LAST-CHANCE TOURISM
  • 2. BIOMETRICS
  • 3. FLOATING ARCHITECTURE
  • 4. BRAIN BOOSTERS
  • 5. SMART CITIES
  • 6. DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS
  • 7. VIRTUAL REALITY
  • 8. FASHION BY CO-CREATION
  • 9. INTELLIGENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS (IVAS)
  • 10. GREENING THE OFFICE

10. Greening the office

Greening the office will reach new levels. Last year was a banner year for popularizing biophilic design elements, but companies are going to do more than add a vertical garden and apply the idea of “green” to renewable energy sources, air purification systems, bike and electric car rental benefits for commuters, and more.