What does it mean to have all you need? 7 years ago I was content meeting new friends online through myspace. 10 years ago I was fine using a map to find my way around town when I was lost. 15 years ago I had a cord attached to my phone and thought nothing of it.
The things we think satisfy our needs today will be the butt of many jokes in the future. While I admit that your average persons home resembles a technological arms race to see which neighbor can amass the most expensive gadgets as if cold war secrets depended on it. On the surface this may seem be a flaw built into our capitalistic society.
I think that’s the wrong way to look at it. As humans we have a innate urge to use tools. Your iphone and flatscreen are the 21st century equivalent of the spear and wheel. You can ignore many of your base natures as you navigate modern society but the lust for new tech is ingrained in your very being.
Resistance is futile.
With that in mind here are five of my favorite toys that you’ll see in cities around the country in the next year.
1) The Illuminating eye messenger from IRIS is at the very top of my christmas list. Now I know what you’re thinking: After all of that hoopla about the spear and the wheel you lead off with an eye messenger?!
I’d say you’re underestimating this little gem.
According to a survey from the Department of Labor most office work fatigue is caused by staring at computer screens on a daily basis. Using the eye messenger will make you a more productive employee and will save you alot of discomfort. I’m getting one as soon as they come to market.
2) As an avid cyclist I was super pumped to hear about Garmin’s new Varia Vision augmented reality display glasses. These things can alert you to oncoming traffic and other potentially dangerous situations for cyclers. With a $400 price tag they aren’t cheap but you can’t put a price on safety.
3) Me and my wife have been recycling and volunteering to clean up our local parks for 5 years now. It’s be a very rewarding experience and has lead us to examine our lives at home and figure out if we can change our habits in order to leave a smaller environmental footprint.
The GoSun stove is a new solar powered grill scheduled to hit stores in the next year. This smart machine absorbs 80% of sunlight reflected onto it and greatly reduces electricity use over it’s life cycle.
It will also save us a ton on our power bill which is a nice bonus.
4) Soccer is another passion of mine and Adidas’s new smart ball has me very excited. Advanced sensors in the ball can determine speed, flight path, and impact point. As a coach of my boys team this will give us a whole new layer of data to make our players and team better.
5)The final item on my list is actually for my wife. She’s been huge into gardening and I’ve found her the perfect birthday gift to help her maintain her plants. Edyn’s garden sensor and water valve system comes to market at the end of the year. This thing is incredible. It reads your soil and tells you exactly what plant would grow best in that spot.
Tech gets a bad rap but let’s be honest, without our toys life would be much more boring and difficult. Hopefully I’ll be able to make an even larger list in 2017.