Hi everyone! The global development of mankind over the last 200 years has accelerated to such an extent that it has outstripped most of the world’s achievements over several thousand years. And in the 3rd millennium, with the spread of consumer electronics, the growth of computing power and other factors, many innovations have reached you and me.  Before we knew it, we were in the future we wanted to be in. The rapid advancement of technology has completely changed the way we live, work and interact with the world. Below, I will discuss 10 breakthrough technologies of the 21st century. They are improving the quality of life and solving problems that were previously thought to be unsolvable. GNSS for civilian applications  Let me start with satellite navigation. The basic GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) in its modern form began to emerge in the early 1970s. But the active phase of development and application in the civilian sphere came at the beginning of the 21st century.  GPS was used for a long time by the U.S. military, and for all others was used forced reduction in accuracy, which was cancelled only in the middle of 2000. Domestic GLONASS was limited to military targets for even longer. And also the system faced problems in the 90s. Only by 2009 it was fully revived and the world had a 2nd GNSS.  Today, satellite navigation is used in civil aviation, geodesy, logistics, and other areas, even finding its place in the online gaming industry with platforms like Stay Casino. In addition, an ordinary smartphone, smartwatch, modern car, or GPS tracker will not let you get lost or lose important things. Surprisingly, just 20-25 years ago, such accurate and fast geolocation was only a dream.  Apple iPhone. Development of smartphones  Speaking of smartphones. Their ubiquity has also played an important role in the development of related industries. The way we use devices today, the way we consume content, the way we chat – all this is also because of the emergence of smartphones in their current form.  But the major device that changed the entire industry was the Apple iPhone. The release of the original iPhone in January 2007 was a watershed moment.  Steve Jobs was able to convince the whole world that now a mobile phone should be just that. And with each new generation of the iPhone, the entire mobile device market, and with it the service market, changed rapidly. And here are just a few important changes:  Styluses and physical keyboards became a thing of the past.  Text messages began to be assembled into dialogues.  Multi-touch screens and various gestures appeared, making it easier to interact with your smartphone.  Smartphones began to be universally equipped with a GPS module.  New ways of distributing applications appeared. And the mobile software market began to grow rapidly.  It’s hard to say what modern smartphones would be like if it weren’t for the iPhone.  3G, 4G and 5G cellular networks  Improved cellular networks have changed the world. The 3rd generation (3G) mobile phone technology began its development in 2001. With the release of devices and faster Internet speeds, it became possible to surf the web, communicate on social networks, share photos and download music on the go.  But even faster speeds and better network performance came with 4th generation (4G) mobile phone technology, which became available in some countries in 2009. This has fuelled the industry’s push into streaming services and online gaming. But in many industries, 4G networks are no longer enough, so 5th generation (5G) networks are now being actively developed. Ultra-high speed, low latency and a huge number of simultaneous connections are the main advantages of 5G. And this is important for the development of smart cities, the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles and many other areas of activity. Some of them will be discussed below.  The blockchain  One of the most important technologies of this century is blockchain. And no, it’s not even about alternative digital currencies. It’s about the technology itself, which is already changing the world, as it allows to significantly increase the security of different systems and processes in different industries (finance, supply chain, medicine, real estate).  Blockchain is a distributed database technology. Information about all transactions of the system participants is stored in the form of a ‘chain of blocks’ on many computers in the system, which do not depend on each other. Such records cannot be changed or deleted, only new ones can be added. The longer the chain, the greater the reliability.  Blockchain provides a decentralised, transparent, secure and tamper-proof way of recording data.  Autonomous vehicles  The rapid development of autonomous vehicles cannot be denied. The entire automotive industry is working in this direction. Car and lorry unmanned cars have long been undergoing all sorts of tests in Russia and other countries. And they are even entering dedicated routes for the delivery of goods.  Separately, it is worth noting unmanned public transport, which is already running in some cities around the world. And in Moscow this year it is planned to launch unmanned trams in test mode.  The complete replacement of traditional vehicles and the abandonment of drivers will lead to many changes in the future. Of the positive ones, we can highlight the reduction of traffic accidents and congestion. In addition, some forms of such transport will probably provide more freedom of movement for the elderly and disabled.  Big Data is the foundation of digital development  With the growth of information consumption and generation in the 21st century, we have quietly moved into the era of Big Data. Large companies and governments have learnt to collect and process huge amounts of information. Sources can be: archives, social networks, media, device readings. And that’s not all.  Big Data analysis helps to optimise processes in various spheres. For example, healthcare, logistics and manufacturing. This leads to increased efficiency and cost reduction. In addition, Big Data is a source for innovation and the development of new technologies.  Big Data provides the foundation for digital development, helping companies and society as a whole to effectively utilise the wealth of existing data to make decisions and achieve new heights in various fields.  Big Data Language Models (LLM)  You’ve probably heard of the ChatGPT chatbot or similar neural network-based generative solutions? Well, all of them are based on one of the LLMs. And this is one of the most interesting areas of technology development in the 21st century.  Alarge language model is a type of deep learning model. It understands and generates text in a language we understand. LLMs can find information from the web or even write code, let alone have a simple conversation.  Admittedly, it’s important to remember that these models are trained on huge amounts of textual data that it has been given during the training process. And this data is not always up to date. And the validity of many of the answers is highly questionable. But now there are specialised neural networks for specific tasks and applications that can be trusted.  Internet of Things (IoT)  The concept of IoT (internet of things) has been discussed as far back as the 1980s. But it is believed that the ‘birth’ of the Internet of Things occurred closer to 2009, when the number of different devices connected to the global network exceeded the population of the planet. In addition, the development of data transmission technologies and cheaper chips had an impact.  The Internet of Things is a network of devices with sensors that interact with the environment and ‘communicate’ with each other by transmitting various data.  And it’s not just about the smart home. These devices can be anything from smart thermostats and lighting to medical devices and industrial equipment. Such technologies are already being actively used in logistics, energy, and in large cities to control various processes.  Smart and safe cities  Speaking of ‘smart cities’. Progress has not bypassed the development of urban infrastructure. Including in Russia. Many cities have become more comfortable and safer.  The Smart City concept involves the integration of many technologies into a single ecosystem. I have already talked about some of them in previous paragraphs: Big Data, IoT and 5G networks. In addition, cloud services and video surveillance systems play an important role.  The point is to create a comfortable urban environment, to automate processes, to achieve clear and predictable development of settlements, as well as to prevent negative situations or instantly detect them. And thanks to the development of technology, this has become possible in the 21st century. But we are only at the very beginning of this important journey.  Development of XR devices  And if the material about breakthrough technologies, it is worth noting the development ofXR ( Extended Reality) headsets. This broad concept includes all technologies at once: VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality) and MR (mixed reality). Such devices combine digital content with the real environment, but also allow you to fully immerse yourself in the virtual world.  Apple, with the release of its XR headset Vision Pro in February 2024, has pushed the market towards development in this area. For now, Apple’s product is still raw and we have to wait for the next generations. But Samsung is already rumoured to be planning to release its headset as well. Perhaps other brands will pull up as well.  The main thing is that this industry has moved on, which means we can expect some really dramatic changes in the future. The way we interact with the devices we’re used to may be about to change.  And in conclusion, all of the above mentioned technologies are still actively developing. And some of them, while they have managed to change the world, are just beginning to gain momentum. We are on the threshold of changes in business, medicine, transport and other industries. So it pays to follow the trends, learn new things, and think about how to use new opportunities to create a smarter, more comfortable, and safer world.  The post 10 Breakthrough technologies of the 21st century appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.