The next 10 years is going to see an exponential growth in remote work and delivery in many sectors. Demand for technologies that facilitate communication and interaction will rise. The use of remote monitoring is expected to continue its growth at a compound annual rate of almost 50% for at least the next 5 years. Read Athena's partial forecast below.
What is changing?
Healthcare
In 2017 the practice of medicine using mobile devices will be a $26 billion industry.
Remote corners of the world will have access to certified physicians that will facilitate reliable and efficient healthcare services.
Wearables that can gather and send medical grade data from the home to the hospital will help propel the industry to more than 400 percent growth in the next four years.
mHealth wearables that fit into healthcare providers' remote patient monitoring goals are expected to lead to a massive surge in the wearables market.
Remote patient monitoring devices will see strong growth of nearly 35% by 2021.
Connected healthcare, wearable technology and remote patient monitoring could dramatically cut medical costs.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will increasingly expand access and improve efficiency of medical deliveries to remote locations over the next decade.
The thousands of remote health clinics around the world will be the backbone of our global effort to defeat future epidemics.
Relationships
Dr Ian Pearson, a futurist, predicts the possibility of using android and AI technology for remote contact with a distant lover.
Delivery
The U.K.'s national postal service, the Royal Mail, expressed interest in deploying drones last year amid warnings that rural postal services in the country may be under threat due to the high delivery costs of reaching remote areas.
Drone delivery, remote inspection, exploration, and other commercial drone uses will be more reliable.
Bangalore-based space start-up Astrome Technologies will launch 150 satellites into space by 2020 providing high-speed affordable internet to remote locations across the world.
A Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is being developed to connect earth observation systems around the world.
Habitat mapping software and satellite imagery can help conservationists predict the movements of endangered species in remote or inaccessible regions and pinpoint areas where conservation efforts should be prioritized.
Work
In 2017, VR is going to be adopted by a lot more start-ups to collaborate with in-office employees and remote or gig workers.
Goldman Sachs expects that remote microgrids will serve nearly a million households in India by 2018.
Remote software updates will become particularly crucial as vehicles become more capable of driving themselves.
Virtual plants will be supported by algorithms that respond to changing grid conditions such as the need to ramp up power or stand by in reserve.
Implications
Broadband access could help Facebook earn more from users in remote areas.
Scientists have created a smartphone-based microscope that could make cancer screening accessible to healthcare workers in the more remote areas of the world.
Remote patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies could save $200 billion over the next 25 years.
Off-grid household or mini-grid systems are expected to supply 70% of the 315 million people who will gain access to electricity in rural Africa by 2040.
Vocal cord vibration signals could be used to control robots, vehicles or drones.
The near-term future for military robots is likely going to be trying to take care of the "long tail" of logistics and support.
Increased use of remote-sensing technologies could help scientists and governments better identify which remaining natural forests should be made a conservation priority.