Graphene

Graphene is a disruptive technology; one that could open up new markets and even replace existing technologies or materials. It is when graphene is used both to improve an existing material and in a transformational capacity that its true potential can be realised. The graphene is a single layer (monolayer) of carbon atoms, tightly bound in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. It is an allotrope of carbon in the form of a plane of sp2-bonded atoms with a molecular bond length of 0.142 nanometres. Layers of graphene stacked on top of each other form graphite, with an interplanar spacing of 0.335 nanometres. The separate layers of graphene in graphite are held together by van der Waals forces, which can be overcome during exfoliation of graphene from graphite.

Other notable properties of graphene are its uniform absorption of light across the visible and near-infrared parts of the spectrum (πα ≈ 2.3%), and its potential suitability for use in spin transport. Bearing this in mind, one might be surprised to know that carbon is the second most abundant mass within the human body and the fourth most abundant element in the universe (by mass), after hydrogen, helium and oxygen.

This makes carbon the chemical basis for all known life on earth, making graphene potentially an eco-friendly, sustainable solution for an almost limitless number of applications. Since the discovery (or more accurately, the mechanical obtainment) of graphene, applications within different scientific disciplines have exploded, with huge gains being made particularly in high-frequency electronics, bio, chemical and magnetic sensors, ultra-wide bandwidth photodetectors, and energy storage and generation.

Crimeware-as-a-service

The Crimeware-as-a-Service (CaaS) model gives cybercriminals a way to automate their unauthorized and often illegal activities on the Internet. And they can earn a significant amount of money very quickly using CaaS. Recently, Cloud Threat Labs (CTL), now part of Symantec Corporation discovered that hackers are using Google Drive to host Facebook Phishing and Account hijacking tools. Multiple versions of these tools were found on Google Drive.

“Terrorist-related groups will attack population centers with crimeware-as-a-service. While terrorist-related groups have been tormenting organizations and individuals for years, we anticipate more potentially destructive attacks in 2019. Instead of breaking systems with ransomware, adversaries will leverage new tools to conduct harmful assaults on targeted subjects and organizations.

From attacks on data integrity that essentially kill computers to the point of mandatory hardware replacements, to leveraging new technology for physical assaults such as the recent drone attack in Venezuela, attack surfaces are growing and enemies will take advantage. To combat this, organizations must take inventory of their attack landscape to identify and mitigate potential threats before they are exploited.

UI Overhaul

The User interface (UI), in the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine from the human end, whilst the machine simultaneously feeds back information that aids the operators' decision-making process. Examples of this broad concept of user interfaces include the interactive aspects of computer operating systems, hand tools, heavy machinery operator controls, and process controls. The design considerations applicable when creating user interfaces are related to or involve such disciplines as ergonomics and psychology.

Generally, the goal of user interface design is to produce a user interface which makes it easy, efficient, and enjoyable (user-friendly) to operate a machine in the way which produces the desired result. This generally means that the operator needs to provide minimal input to achieve the desired output, and also that the machine minimizes undesired outputs to the human.

The user interfaces are composed of one or more layers including a human-machine interface (HMI) interfaces machines with physical input hardware such a keyboards, mice, game pads and output hardware such as computer monitors, speakers, and printers. A device that implements a HMI is called a human interface device (HID). Other terms for human-machine interfaces are man–machine interface (MMI) and when the machine in question is a computer human–computer interface.

More Brands will move to becoming Life-as-a-Service

More consumer brands are following the lead of Netflix, Spotify, Harry’s and others in trying to encourage customers to see them as ‘a service to subscribe to’ as well as a product to buy. There is a distinction between the purely digital services and the physical brands creating a virtual service but both types are trying to introduce more touchpoints and create a stronger relationship with the buyer.

 Over the past six months we have seen this model extend into previously unexpected categories. Xbox has introduced an ‘All Access’ subscription programme. A single monthly payment gives users an Xbox console, Xbox Live, and access to streaming games. Nespresso has introduced a similar model for its coffee machines and pods — by paying a minimal amount for the machine and commiting to membership and a subscription for coffee pods, customers are moving from buying a machine to buying a lifestyle.

Uber and Lyft are both testing or introducing subscription models in the US, encouraging people to pay a monthly amount for a number of short rides, or even to protect them from paying surge pricing. LaaS should be deployed carefully, depending on factors like the value proposition and frequency of purchase, to build service into the offering. Brands selling physical products should try to keep the experience special — use one-offs, birthday deliveries, and layers of membership to personalise the offering. It may be better to partner with an existing service, or find a complimentary service than establish your own programme, depending on the role the brand is trying to play in its customers’ lives.

eSports continue to surge

eSports have momentum, especially with young demographics, perhaps most visibly in the Epic Games battle-royale phenomenon Fortnite, with the largest payer base and the biggest audience. In the month of August 2018, Epic Games hosted 78.3 million Fortnite players.

The eSports, which racked up 300 million viewers worldwide last year, is on track to surpass a billion dollars for the first time this year, across all markets, and not just from indirect revenue sources, like advertising and sponsorship. Merchandise sales, ticket sales, and other items that consumers purchase directly make up about a quarter of that income.

 In the first week of that same month, viewers on the social streaming platform Twitch watched an aggregate 28.5 million hours of Fortnite play. But as more broadcasters spend to fit eSports into their programming, they may learn that eSports — and the video game platforms on which the industry is built — are more complex than they appear.

The ‘mobile workforce’ will dominate the new economy

The Industrial Revolution was initiated through new technology — the steam engine — but its impact was felt widely across where people lived and worked, with whole new communities and social effects resulting. Cities, offices, suburbs, factories arose and, in time, the current technological revolution will have just as great an effect, making everyone as mobile as they wish to be.

Gig economy is re-shaping the workforce dynamics. Technology has fundamentally altered the nature and perception of work. Work and workforce are no more limited to the four walls of an organisation. The fourth industrial revolution will rejig workforce model in a manner which will disrupt and uproot already existing business models. Gig economy has become one of the leading frontiers in the HR industry, hinting towards a rapid change in the traditional sourcing and management of manpower. Times Jobs conducted a comprehensive survey on the rise of gig economy and its impact on HR fraternity. 

 New economies will grow away from cities and new social structures will evolve, enabled by this mobile, flexible and adaptive way of working. Requesting flexible working has become a legal right in some countries, and even where it isn’t, it’s becoming an essential for modern work and the only way to compete for the best people in an increasingly febrile “war for talent”.

Personalised Nutrition becomes a thing

One of the most promising developments, and one we predict will become increasingly visible in 2019, is personalised nutrition based on your gut microbiome. Diet and nutrition advice tends to be delivered at a population level (e.g. five-a-day, eat more fibre), but the more we understand about the gut, the more we discover that a one-size-fits-all approach to diet doesn’t work.

 Biotech companies like Viome and Atlas Biomed have been promoting at-home gut testing for a couple of years as a way of finding out more about your gut and what to eat, and this year Carbiotix became the first company to release a low cost gut microbiome test.

 In 2019, Project Sapiens — a team led by geneticist Tim Spector and including some of the best artificial intelligence experts in the UK — will release a test that uses machine learning to help people understand how their body responds to specific foods.