Expansion of remote working and videoconferencing
This area has seen rapid growth during the pandemic, and is likely to continue growing in 2021. The video call app, Zoom, which grew from a startup in 2011 to going public in 2019, became the household name during the pandemic. Other corporate tools such as Cisco's Webex, Microsoft's Teams, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, and Verizon's BlueJeans are also providing state-of-the-art video conferencing systems, facilitating remote work across the globe. These tools have helped the distribution of to teams keep track of shared learning and documentation. Users can create a virtual office that replicates working together in person by letting colleagues communicate and collaborate with one another easily.
Online education and e-learning as part of the educational system
Covid-19 saw the increase in demand for the e-learning and online education industry. During this pandemic, 190 countries have enforced nationwide school closures at some point, affecting almost 1.6 billion people globally.
There is a major opportunity with schools, colleges, and even coaching centres conducting classes via video conferencing. Many institutions have actually been recommended to pursue a portion of their curriculum online even after everything returns to normal.
Google Classroom ,Udacity, Coursera, Age of Learning, and Outschool in the U.S., and Byju's in India are some of the top online learning platforms that have served the global community during the pandemic and will continue to do so in 2021 and beyond.
A.I., robotics, internet of things, and industrial automation grow rapidly
In 2021, we expect to see huge demand and rapid growth of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and industrial automation technology. Automation, with the help of A.I., robotics, and the internet of things, will be a key alternative solution to operate manufacturing.
Some of the top technology-providing companies enabling industry automation with A.I. and robotics integration include:
UBTech Robotics (China), CloudMinds (U.S.), Bright Machines (U.S.), Roobo (China), Vicarious (U.S.), Preferred Networks (Japan), Fetch Robotics (U.S.), Covariant (U.S.), Locus Robotics (U.S.), Built Robotics (U.S.), Kindred Systems (Canada), and XYZ Robotics (China).
Ongoing autonomous driving innovation
We will see major progress in autonomous driving technology during 2021.Tesla's Autopilot not only offers lane centering and automatic lane changes, but, from this year, can also recognize speed signs and detect green lights.
Ford is also joining the race, anticipating an autonomous driving cars ride sharing service launch in 2021. The company could also make such vehicles available to certain buyers as early as 2026. Other auto makers, including Mercedes-Benz, are also trying to integrate some degree of autonomous driving technology in their new models from 2021.
The intense market competition is also accelerating self-driving technology growth in other companies, including Lyft and Waymo. Billions of dollars have been spent in acquiring startups in this domain: Uber acquired Otto for $680 million; Ford acquired Argo AI for $1 billion; and Intel acquired Mobileye for $15.3 billion
Contactless delivery and shipping remain as the new normal
The U.S. has seen a 20 percent increase in preference for contactless operations, with various industries implementing alternative processes.
No-contact delivery is the new normal. Postmates, and Instacart all offer drop-off delivery options, reportedly borne from customer desires to minimize physical contact. Uber Eats also grew their contactless delivery options and will continue to do so in 2021.
China-based delivery apps like Meituan, which was the first company in China to implement contactless delivery began using autonomous vehicles to help fulfill grocery orders to customers.
Source: Inc.com