Imagine a post-coronavirus world: the crisis has passed, but consumers and business models will no longer be the same. Once people got used to digital and remote technologies, got used to playing online casinos or betting using 22Bet login, using Internet services all the time, their expectations changed forever. The main themes of 2021 will be philanthropy and sustainability. People’s experiences during the pandemic will lead to rapid changes in technology and business.
Trend ?1. Pharma Revolution: Advanced Coronavirus Tests and Vaccines
The coronavirus has shaken up the pharmaceutical industry. Drug testing has become faster and easier. Traditional clinical trials are a thing of the past – they’ve moved to a virtual platform. Consultation and data collection have also moved online. Such transformations can take root and change pharma forever.
We saw the rapid emergence of Covid-19 tests around the world, and then vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.
Pfizer and Moderna developed matrix RNA-based vaccines for the first time ever. More new coronavirus test and vaccine production technologies await us in 2021.
Trend ?2. Telecommuting and Videoconferencing Will Stay With Us
The pandemic has led to an explosion in the popularity of telecommuting and videoconferencing. Whether we want it to or not, it will continue in 2021.
Zoom, founded in 2011, has become something of a symbol of the pandemic. Other video calling services also helped us stay in touch with reality: Cisco’s Webex, Microsoft’s Teams, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting and Verizon’s BlueJeans.
There are a lot of newcomers in the field of telecommuting. Startups Bluescape, Eloops, Figma, Slab and Tandem offered collaboration solutions. They can be used to create and share content, communicate with colleagues, track project results, train employees, and organize virtual team building events. These tools help teams keep track of collaborative learning and documentation. And you can create a virtual office that mimics a normal office so colleagues can communicate and collaborate.
Trend ?3. Contactless Shipping Is the New Normal
In the U.S. the popularity of contactless delivery increased by 20%, people want to minimize physical contact – this is the new norm. DoorDash, Postmates and Instacart provide this service. Grubhub and Uber Eats have also expanded their contactless delivery capabilities and are not going to give it up in 2021.
Meituan is the first company in China to offer contactless delivery in Wuhan. It now uses drones to deliver products to customers. Meituan tested the technology last year, but it only recently launched the service.
China is not the only country that has turned its attention to drones. U.S. startups Manna, Starship Technologies and Nuro are tackling the problem with robotics and artificial intelligence applications.
Trend ?4. The Prosperity of Telemedicine
The healthcare industry is all trying to reduce the risk of their employees and patients contracting the coronavirus. Many private and public clinics have begun to offer telemedicine services. The doctor and patient communicate via video chat, artificial intelligence diagnoses through photos, and medications are delivered contactless.
The number of U.S. patients who have switched to telemedicine is up 50% over pre-pandemic levels. IHS Technology suggests that their number will soon reach 70 million. And Forrester Research predicted that in early 2021 the number of remote appointments will reach one billion.
Several public companies now provide this service: Teladoc Health, Amwell, Livongo Health, One Medical and Humana. Startups are not far behind – MDLive, MeMD, iCliniq, K Health, 98point6, Sense.ly and Eden Health offer telemedicine services.
In addition to telemedicine, in 2021 we expect news from biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Machine learning (e.g., Suki AI) will be used in diagnostics, administrative work, and building robots for healthcare.
Trend ?5. Distance Learning Is Part of the Education System
The coronavirus spurred the development of online education. During the pandemic, 190 countries closed schools and universities, sending pupils and students home. Some 1.6 billion people faced this new reality.
Schools, colleges and even sports centers organized classes via video conferencing. Many institutions have been advised to leave part of the remoting even after the reopening.
China’s 17zuoye, Yuanfudao, iTutorGroup and Hujiang, America’s Udacity, Coursera, Age of Learning and Outschool, and India’s Byju’s are among the best online learning platforms. They helped the world during the pandemic and will continue to do so in 2021.
Trend ?6. Massive 5g Infrastructure Development
The demand for high-speed Internet and the shift to smart home and city systems has spurred the development of 5G-6G technologies. In 2021, major corporations and startups will create new infrastructure based on them, as well as utilities and updated applications.
Many carriers are already deploying 5G, with Australia having built the entire infrastructure before the pandemic. The U.S. company Verizon announced a major expansion of its 5G network in October 2020. It will cover more than 200 million people. Technology is spreading fast in China, too. But the Swedish company Ericsson is leading the global market. More than 380 telecom operators are investing in 5G, and more than 35 countries already offer the service.
Among the startups in this area are Movandi – it allows 5G to transmit data over long distances – and Novalume (helps municipalities manage a network of public lighting and data through a smart city system). And Nido Robotics is using drones to explore the ocean floor.
With 5G, drones are improving navigation and using the Internet of Things (IoT) to communicate with on-board devices. For example, Seadronix, a startup from South Korea, uses 5G to fuel autonomous ships. The technology allows all devices to work together in real time so that unmanned vessels can move around without human intervention.
In 2021, the development of 5G and 6G will improve smart cities around the world and support the market for unmanned systems.
Trend ?7. Development of AI, Robotics, Internet of Things, and Industrial Automation
In 2021, the demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and industrial automation technology will be huge. As production and supplies return to their previous levels, labor shortages will become a serious problem. Automation through AI, robotics and the Internet of Things will become the main alternative for managing production.
Here are some of the leading technology companies that are providing industry automation through AI and robotics: UBTech Robotics (China), CloudMinds (USA), Bright Machines (USA), Roobo (China), Vicarious (USA), Preferred Networks (Japan), Fetch Robotics (USA), Covariant (USA), Locus Robotics (USA), Built Robotics (USA), Kindred Systems (Canada) and XYZ Robotics (China).
Trend ?8. Virtual and Augmented Reality Boom
VR and AR were actively used in 2020. These technologies have become part of everyday life and different spheres of life, from entertainment to business. Employees in many companies moved to remote work, and AR and VR helped them communicate and work together.
Immersive technologies offer incredible opportunities for transformation in all areas. AR avatars, AR indoor navigation, remote assistants, AI integration in augmented and virtual reality, mobile AR, AR in the cloud, virtual sports events, eye tracking and facial expression recognition technology will be more common in 2021, and 5G and broadband internet will accelerate the spread of technology.
Microsoft, Consagous, Quytech, RealWorld One, Chetu, Gramercy Tech, Scanta, IndiaNIC, Groove Jones and other companies will be the flagships in popularizing AR and VR.
Trend ?9. Micromobility Growth
The micro-mobility market slowed at the beginning of the year due to the pandemic, but by the end it had managed to recover to its previous pace. Electric bicycles and electric scooters are becoming increasingly popular; they are an alternative to conventional personal and public transportation. The market for private micro-mobility solutions is expected to grow by 9% compared to pre-soviet times, and the shoring economy is expected to grow by 12%.
Milan, Brussels, Seattle, Montreal, New York and San Francisco have built more than 30 km of dedicated bike lanes. The UK government has announced that sales of cars with diesel and gasoline engines will be banned after 2030, which has also increased interest in micro-mobility.
Startups are pushing innovation in this area. Bird, Lime, Dott, Skip, Tier and Voi have been the main ones in this field. There are a few companies in China, too, that have achieved excellent results: Ofo, Mobike, and Hellobike.