MIT’s Technology Review has released its
annual 10 Breakthrough Technologies list, with at least three having the
potential to impact higher education.
One
technology, microscale 3-D printing, has already received a great deal of
attention in the news media. It might ultimately be used in a variety of design
courses, but may show up first in campus retail stores to create custom
products.
The concept
of mobile collaboration, another technology cited on the list, isn’t really
new. However, the Technology Review
noted the rise of new apps that enable people to work more effectively on group
projects through their smartphones and tablets. More college and university
courses require students to work together, yet students are more comfortable
with text-messaging than word-processing.
“By
incorporating streams of messages about the work being created, these apps
reflect the fact that many communications are now brief, informal, and rapid,”
the article said.
The third
technology, Oculus Rift, sounds like a character from a science-fiction tale.
It’s actually a new type of virtual-reality headset for ultra-immersive video
games. According to the Technology
Review, the Rift not only provides a much more realistic experience, the
Oculus company plans to price it within the means of the average consumer.
“While
video games are where this improved virtual-reality technology is likely to
take off first, it could also have applications in telepresence, architecture,
computer-aided design, emergency response training, and phobia therapy,”
according to the article. Older versions of this technology are already used in
simulations for medical surgery and industrial design.
The seven
other breakthroughs on the list are agricultural drones, ultraprivate
smartphones, brain mapping, neuromorphic chips, genome editing, agile robots,
and smart wind and solar power.
