Exciting Sci-Fi Tech Turned Reality In 2022

In today's fast-paced digital world, technology moves at the speed of the imagination. With sophisticated technologies such as IoT, AI, blockchain, and AR/VR already part of everyday nomenclature, new advancements are making their way from the lab to the streets. While some of it may sound like science fiction, I am going to highlight 4 new technologies that are coming to reality in 2022.

1. Self-driving vehicles are finally here
2. Delivery bots are popping up e'rywhere
3. Robots have invaded the workforce
4. Climate change tech is actively being deployed

Now let's dig in!

Self-Driving Vehicles Are Finally Here

Self-driving vehicles have been talked about for sometime, Tesla announced its Full Self Driving (FSD) feature 5 years ago, but here we are in 2022.. still driving our cars 🤬 Also, there is a little bit of a misnomer in what “full self driving” actually means. 

In our imagination, we want the promise of sci-fi vehicles. Get into your automobile, speak a location, and then kick back and read a book, browse the web, or sleep as your car safely takes you to your destination. 

At present, self-driving car technology is confined to test programs and specialized cars. However, recent momentum is bringing self-driving vehicles finally to reality. 

Innovation generally reaches the business sector first, for self-driving vehicles we are starting to see commercial applications rolling out in 2022. Recently, TuSimple completed its first driverless autonomous truck run on public roads. Also, Robotaxi services are quickly on the rise. Alphabet (through its subsidiary Waymo) and General Motors are among the major firms moving ahead with commercial operations in the United States. China already has driverless fleets available in some major cities from Baidu and Didi, and recently Israel presented a draft law to allow 400 self-driving electric taxis to operate in the country as early as 2022. Self-driving is here, and our sci-fi fantasies are not far away.

Recently, Tesla started rolling out its FSD beta ahead of schedule. Also, Intel’s Mobileye launched the EyeQ Ultra system-on-chip, which is intended for consumer self-driving vehicles, and  announced new engagements with VW, Ford, and Zeekr. Consumer self-driving is well on its way and we will start to see that in the US as early as this year.

Delivery Bots Are Popping Up E'rywhere

Delivery robots, which were once the stuff of science fiction, are now very much a reality and are gradually becoming a part of many of our daily lives. In fact, if you go for an evening jog in Milton Keynes, England, you typically come across five or six!

These specific ones belong to Starship, a business that deployed its first autonomous delivery bots just three years ago and currently maintains a fleet of over a thousand in numerous sites around the United Kingdom, the United States, and, very soon, continental Europe.

Other companies are quickly deploying their own bots including Amazon, Kiwibot, Nuro, and Fedex. Many are already active on college campuses and major cities in the US.

Robots Have Invaded The Workforce

Robot workers are another sci-fi technology that has been talked about for many years, but stagnated on its rollout into everyday life. Robots have long been employed in extremely controlled environments such as manufacturing plants and shipping warehouses, however they faced a lot more challenges in holding their own in semi-controlled environments.

But technology continues to push forward, and the robots are actually already here. Walmart and its subsidiary Sam’s Club use robots to scrub floors and scan inventory. Robot fry cooks were deployed in the US by Miso Robotics as early as 2020 and have been growing rapidly. The continued labor shortage brought on by Covid-19 and The Great Resignation has quickly accelerated the adoption of these kitchen robots.

Climate Change Tech is Actively Being Deployed

Climate change is real, it’s here, and it’s getting bad fast. Global action is on the rise as governments start to implement new legislation to accelerate our move from fossil fuels. There have been a lot of conversations about climate change tech, but most of it seemed speculative and academic. Finally in 2022, new climate change technologies are being built. While there are many speculative ideas still being discussed, some proven technologies, like direct air capture, are actively being deployed. Direct air capture is a technology that uses chemical reactions to capture CO2 from the air. Climeworks, a Swiss company, currently has 15 plants removing carbon dioxide from the air, and the US Department of Energy has a goal to scale up direct air capture technologies.

Mote Inc, located in Culber City, announced plans for a $100 million gasification facility to collect carbon dioxide from wood waste on 5 acres of property in unincorporated Kern County on December 15.

To develop the facility, Mote aims to collaborate with Irving, Texas-based engineering and construction company Fluor Corp. and SunGas Renewables, a subsidiary of Des Plaines, Illinois-based GTI International Inc. that manufactures gasification systems. The building will start around the end of 2022 with the facility planeed to open in 2024.

Finally, the theme of CES 2022 was Smart Cities Prepare for Climate Change, and multiple firms are showcasing new climate change tech, much of it focused on decreasing current carbon emissions. Hydraloop is a Dutch company with water purification technology with both home and industrial uses. Schneider Electric, the world’s most sustainable corporation of 2021, revealed new innovations that offer recycled ocean plastic solutions to create a truly functioning circular economy.

Conclusion

These are only a few exciting “sci-fi turned reality” technologies to watch for in 2022, but they are the ones that stood out as the biggest unexpected leaps forward. Hell, I didn’t even touch on the metaverse, JSWT, electric vehicle innovation, smart glasses, or extended reality virtual health! 

As we quickly advance up the technology asymptote, reality will get even more like science fiction. It is important that we continue to work together to use new technologies to help the under-served, heal our globe, and become closer and more connected not farther removed in digital isolation.