Technology today is evolving at such a rapid pace, enabling faster change and progress, causing an acceleration of the rate of change, until eventually, it will become exponential. However, it is not only technology trends and top technologies that are evolving, a lot more has changed this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19 making IT professionals realize that their role will not stay the same in the contactless world tomorrow. And an IT professional in 2021-22 will constantly be learning, unlearning, and relearning (out of necessity if not desire).

What does this mean for you? It means staying current with new technology trends. And it means keeping your eyes on the future to know which skills you’ll need to know to secure a safe job tomorrow and even learn how to get there. All bows to the worldwide pandemic, most of the global IT population is sitting back, working from home. And if you wish to make the most of your time at home, here are the top 5 new technology trends you should watch for and make an attempt at in 2021, and possibly secure one of the jobs that will be created by these new technology trends.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

According to the father of Al, John McCarthy, it’s “The science and engineering of creating intelligent machines, particularly intelligent pc programs”.

Artificial Intelligence may be a means of creating a pc, computer-controlled automation, or a software system suppose to show intelligence, within the similar manner the intelligent humans suppose.

Al is accomplished by finding out however the human brain thinks, and the way humans learn, decide and work whereas attempting to resolve a drag, then victimization the outcomes of this study as a basis of developing intelligent software systems and systems.

Artificial Intelligence is an associate degree approach to create a pc, a robot, or a product to suppose however sensible human suppose. Al may be a study of however the human brain suppose, learn, decide and work, once it tries to resolve issues, and eventually, this study outputs intelligent software system systems. Al aims to enhance pc functions that area unit associated with human information, for instance, reasoning, leaming, and problem-solving.

Applications of Artificial intelligence (AI)

As noted earlier, AI is everywhere today, but a number of it’s been around for extended than you think that. Here are just a couple of the foremost common examples:

Speech recognition: Also called speech to text (STT), speech recognition is AI technology recognizing spoken words and converting them to digitized text. Speech recognition is that the capability that drives computer dictation software, TV voice remotes, voice-enabled text messaging and GPS, and voice-driven phone answering menus.
Natural language processing (NLP): NLP enables a software application, computer, or machine to understand, interpret, and generate human text. NLP is that the AI behind digital assistants (such because the aforementioned Siri and Alexa), chatbots, and other text-based virtual assistance. Some NLP uses sentiment analysis to detect the mood, attitude, or other subjective qualities in language.
Image recognition (computer vision or machine vision): AI technology that will identify and classify objects, people, writing, and even actions within still or moving images. Typically driven by deep neural networks, image recognition is employed for fingerprint ID systems, mobile check deposit apps, video and medical image analysis, self-driving cars, and far more.
Real-time recommendations: Retail and entertainment internet sites use neural networks to recommend additional purchases or media likely to appeal to a customer supported the customer’s past activity, the past activity of other customers, and myriad other factors, including time of day and therefore the weather. Research has found that online recommendations can increase sales anywhere from 5% to 30%.
Virus and spam prevention: Once driven by rule-based expert systems, today’s virus and spam detection software employ deep neural networks which will learn to detect new sorts of viruses and spam as quickly as cybercriminals can dream them up.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Advantages of Artificial Intelligence

Following are some main advantages of Artificial Intelligence:

High Accuracy with fewer errors: AI machines or systems are prone to fewer errors and high accuracy as it takes decisions as per pre-experience or information.
High-Speed: AI systems can be of very high speed and fast-decision making, because of that AI systems can beat a chess champion in the Chess game.
High reliability: AI machines are highly reliable and can perform the same action multiple times with high accuracy.
Useful for risky areas: AI machines can be helpful in situations such as defusing a bomb, exploring the ocean floor, where employing a human can be risky.
Digital Assistant: AI can be very useful to provide digital assistant to the users such as AI technology is currently used by various E-commerce websites to show the products as per customer requirement.

Disadvantages of Artificial Intelligence

Every technology has some disadvantages, and the same goes for Artificial intelligence. Being so advantageous technology still, it has some disadvantages which we need to keep in our mind while creating an AI system. Following are the disadvantages of AI:

High Cost: The hardware and software requirement of AI is very costly as it requires lots of maintenance to meet current world requirements.
Can’t think out of the box: Even we are making smarter machines with AI, but still they cannot work out of the box, as the robot will only do that work for which they are trained, or programmed.
No feelings and emotions: AI machines can be an outstanding performer, but still it does not have the feeling so it cannot make any kind of emotional attachment with human, and may sometime be harmful to users if the proper care is not taken.
Increase dependency on machines: With the increment of technology, people are getting more dependent on devices and hence they are losing their mental capabilities.
No Original Creativity: As humans are so creative and can imagine some new ideas but still AI machines cannot beat this power of human intelligence and cannot be creative and imaginative.

2. Robotics

Robotics, design, construction, and use of machines (robots) to perform tasks done traditionally by human beings. Robots are widely used in such industries as automobile manufacture to perform simple repetitive tasks, and in industries where work must be performed in environments hazardous to humans. Many aspects of robotics involve artificial intelligence; robots may be equipped with the equivalent of human senses such as vision, touch, and the ability to sense temperature. Some are even capable of simple decision-making, and current robotics research is geared toward devising robots with a degree of self-sufficiency that will permit mobility and decision-making in an unstructured environment. Today’s industrial robots do not resemble human beings; a robot in human form is called an android.

Robotics is a branch of engineering that involves the conception, design, manufacture, and operation of robots. This field overlaps with electronics, computer science, artificial intelligence, mechatronics, nanotechnology, and bioengineering.

Science-fiction author Isaac Asimov is often given credit for being the first person to use the term robotics in a short story composed in the 1940s. In the story, Asimov suggested three principles to guide the behavior of robots and smart machines. Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, as they are called, have survived to the present:

1. Robots must never harm human beings.
2. Robots must follow instructions from humans without violating rule 1.
3. Robots must protect themselves without violating the other rules.

Introduction of Robotics

The main era of robotic research and development was the mid-20th century, primarily within an industrial environment where repetitive movements and lifting of heavy objects made the use of machines over humans attractive. Robots were mainly employed for tasks that were too dirty, distant, or dangerous for humans (Krebs and Volpe, 2013).

Joseph F. Engelberger and George Devol developed the first industrially used robot, the Unimate, in 1961. This was a hydraulically driven, programmable, 2-tonne robotic arm, adopted for automated die-casting. Engelberger had an interest in service robotics particularly in medical applications, and in 1984 he formed HelpMate Robotics. The HelpMate was used to transport medical supplies around a hospital.

Application

As more and more robots are designed for specific tasks this method of classification becomes more relevant. For example, many robots are designed for assembly work, which may not be readily adaptable for other applications. They are termed “assembly robots”. For seam welding, some suppliers provide complete welding systems with the robot i.e. the welding equipment along with other material handling facilities like turntables, etc. as an integrated unit. Such an integrated robotic system is called a “welding robot” even though its discrete manipulator unit could be adapted to a variety of tasks. Some robots are specifically designed for heavy load manipulation, and are labeled as “heavy-duty robots”.

Current and potential applications include:

Military robots.
Industrial robots. Robots are increasingly used in manufacturing (since the 1960s). According to the Robotic Industries Association US data, in 2016 the automotive industry was the main customer of industrial robots with 52% of total sales. In the auto industry, they can amount to more than half of the “labor”. There are even “lights off” factories such as an IBM keyboard manufacturing factory in Texas that was fully automated as early as 2003.
Cobots(collaborative robots).
Construction robots. Construction robots can be separated into three types: traditional robots, robotic arms, and robotic exoskeleton.
Agricultural robots(robots). The use of robots in agriculture is closely linked to the concept of AI-assisted precision agriculture and drone 1996-1998 research also proved that robots can perform a herding task.

3. Drone Technology

INTRODUCTION of Drone

A quadcopter, also called a quadrotor helicopter or quadrotor, is a multicolor helicopter that is lifted and propelled by four rotors. Quadcopters are classified as rotorcraft, as against fixed-wing aircraft, because their lift is generated by a group of rotors (vertically oriented propellers).

Quadcopters generally use two pairs of identical fixed pitched propellers; two clockwise (CW) and two counterclockwise (CCW). These use independent variations of the speed of every rotor to realize control. By changing the speed of every rotor it’s possible to specifically generate a desired total thrust; locate for the middle of thrust both laterally and longitudinally, and to create a desired total torque, or turning force.

Fig.1 Quadcopter Drone

Quadcopters differ from conventional helicopters, which use rotors that are ready to vary the pitch of their blades dynamically as they move around the rotor hub. In the early days of flight, quadcopters (then referred to either as ‘quad rotors’ or simply as ‘helicopters’) were seen as possible solutions to some of the persistent problems in vertical flight. Torque-induced control issues (as well as efficiency issues originating from the anti-torque rotor, which generates no useful lift) are often eliminated by counter-rotation, and therefore the relatively short blades are much easier to construct. Several manned designs appeared within the 1920s and 1930s. These vehicles were among the primary successful heavier-than-air vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles. However, early prototypes suffered from poor performance, and later prototypes required an excessive amount of pilot workload, thanks to poor stability augmentation and limited control authority.

In the late 2000s, advances in electronics allowed the assembly of cheap lightweight flight controllers, accelerometers (IMU), global positioning systems, and cameras. This resulted in the quadcopter configuration becoming popular for small unmanned aerial vehicles. With their small size and maneuverability, these quadcopters can be flown indoors as well as outdoors.

Fig.2 Working of Quadcopter Drone

At a little size, quadcopters are cheaper and more durable than conventional helicopters thanks to their mechanical simplicity. Their smaller blades also are advantageous because they possess less K.E., reducing their ability to cause damage. For small-scale quadcopters, this makes the vehicles safer for close interaction. It is also possible to suit quadcopters with guards that enclose the rotors, further reducing the potential for damage. However, as size increases, fixed propeller quadcopters develop disadvantages relative to conventional helicopters. Increasing blade size increases their momentum. This means that changes in blade speed take longer, which negatively impacts control. Helicopters don’t experience this problem as increasing the dimensions of the rotor disk doesn’t significantly impact the power to regulate blade pitch.

What is a Drone? Drone vs Quadcopter

If you have spent any time looking into the world of recreational drones, you may have noticed that both the terms “drone” and “quadcopter” are used relatively frequently. In fact, it may at times seem as if these two terms are interchangeable. The truth, however, is that while “quadcopter” and “drone” are both accurate words to use to describe recreational unmanned flying craft, their definitions differ slightly. Knowing exactly what a drone is and exactly what a quadcopter is can help you avoid misunderstandings and locate the right recreational drone for your own uses.

Definitions of “Drone” and “Quadcopter”

“Drone” is a broad term used to describe any kind of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). As such, it can be used to describe both UAVs that are remotely controlled and those that are controlled by onboard computers. These types of aerial craft can look either like a small airplane or as a helicopter. They generally have two characteristics that set them apart as drones: Engine-controlled, and they can fly for long.

“Quadcopter” is a more specific term used to refer to a drone that is controlled by four rotors. It is also called a quadrotor or a quadrotor helicopter. The rotors on the quadcopter each consist of a motor and a propeller. In addition, these UAVs are always controlled remotely instead of being controlled by a pre-programmed, onboard computer. Quadcopters resemble helicopters but balance themselves by the movement of the blades and not by the use of a tail rotor.

Given these definitions, it is accurate to think of drones as a broad category and quadcopters as a specific type of drone within that category. There are many other types of UAVs (such as tricopters, hexacopters, and octocopters) that also fit the general description of a drone. A drone can only be considered a quadcopter, however, if it has four rotors.

Drone

The term “drone” is used broadly to describe any kind of UAV. So, “drones” can be used to describe UAVs that are controlled remotely and those controlled by onboard computers. These aircraft generally look like a helicopter or a small airplane but can come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and styles, from top-secret military vehicles to tiny toys that fit in the palm of your hand. However, they are usually set apart by being engine-controlled and being able to fly for long periods of time without landing.

Drones have a wide variety of uses, including military, commercial, and civilian applications. For military uses, drones can be utilized to deliver attacks and conduct surveillance. Additionally, there has been an increase in drone flying in the agriculture industry to track livestock and crop growth. Because of the possible applications and dangers to traditional, manned aircraft, drones are heavily regulated.

4. Cyber Security

For most people, cybersecurity is the same in meaning to information security. This, however, is not true, as we will establish in this lesson. Cybersecurity is the ability to protect or defend the use of cyberspace from cyber-attacks. To better understand this definition, we first need to understand what cyberspace and cyber-attacks are.

Cyberspace may be a global virtual environment, totally on the web, created by computer systems. A cyber-attack is an attempt to disrupt, disable, destroy, or maliciously controlling a computing system via cyberspace to destroy the integrity of data or steal access-restricted information.

Therefore cybersecurity is about the protection of sensitive information, specifically those stored or accessed via the Internet, from cyber-attack.

5. Electric Vehicles (EVs)

Definition of E.V:

An electric vehicle (EV) is defined as a vehicle that uses an electric motor for propulsion.
EVS is propelled by one or more electric motors, which receive power from an onboard source of electricity such as batteries or fuel cells, ultracapacitors or flywheels, etc.

Layout:

Fig. shows the basic layout of an electric car.
It consists of a battery bank, an electric motor, and a transmission system to transmit the power generated by the motor to the wheels of the car.

Fig. Layout of Electric Car

Need of EVs :

The EVs are needed due to the following reasons:

Depletion of oil reserves
Need of reducing the noise pollution.
Need of reducing air pollution.

The oil reserves all over the world are depleting very fast. Hence it is necessary to run the vehicles on some other type of energy.
The EVS is a zero exhaust emission vehicle and they are noiseless too.
Therefore their use would reduce the air pollution as well as noise pollution associated with conventional vehicles.

Some other advantages of EVS are as follows:

They can be charged at home or the workplace.
They are easy to service and maintain as spark plugs, gears and clutch are absent.
EVS is easy to drive.
They are highly reliable.
They reduce our dependence on petroleum.