When it comes to technology, there’s always something new that will change the way you live and work. What’s the next big thing? Who’s solving problems in a new and unusual way? How will new tools affect your bottom line? Check in every Thursday for NAIOP’s #ThreeforThursday column for a look at the latest tech and social media innovations.
Smart – and Interconnected – Gadgets
The theme for the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was Future=Delivered. One of the main highlights featured was the Internet of Things (IoT), a world where your everyday gadgets are connected not only to the Internet but to each other. You will eventually be able to use one device to control your appliances, your dishwasher, your crockpot, your thermostat and more.
Most of these devices are still cost prohibitive for the average consumer. However, in their 2015 report on Technology, Media, & Telecommunications Predictions, Deloitte predicts that “60 percent of all wireless IoT devices will be bought, paid for and used by enterprises and industries.” The current Internet of Things is really about enterprises using these devices to build “smart meters, smart grids, smart homes, smart cities, and smart highways.” This is sometimes called the “Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).” In a recent article, CIO cautioned that the IIoT will be tremendously complex. Here’s their summary of the 5 key challenges facing the IIoT.
Smart home technology is an exciting development in the word of smart devices. Homes can be transformed with companies that install such technology like crestron controls.
Augmented Reality
According to Mashable, “virtual reality matured into a serious category” at this year’s CES with a “special augmented reality pavilion.” The headset Oculus Rift made waves as one of the products exhibited. Expected to launch in 2015, it has energized some real estate companies who are making plans to take advantage of the new virtual reality technology.
In Vancouver, Colliers International is working on “choose-your-own-path interactive video tours” that will allow clients to virtually tour a property without the hassle of a formal site visit. The company is already working with the Oculus Rift headset to “convert those tours into fully immersive virtual reality.”
Drones Rising in Popularity
One of the gadgets CNBC highlighted at CES is a drone called the Nixie, “a wristband that transforms itself into a selfie-snapping flying camera drone.” On this page, scroll down for a look. Commercial real estate companies are already using drones to photograph and video properties, as featured in the Winter issue of Development magazine.
Until recently, the FAA hadn’t issued any legislation regarding drone use. But, as reported in the NAIOP Source, recent exceptions were made for “companies in agriculture and real estate to fly drones for commercial use.” There are still some issues that will “likely limit adoption in the short and medium term,” according to Deloitte, including their cost and the skill required to fly them.
CES is known to be a showcase for the latest in technology, from products intended for everyday use to the wild and wacky. You can take a look at some of the highlights in this photo album from c/net featuring “all the cool new gadgets at CES 2015,” including the Pacif-i and the Petcube.
