Humanity’s history of communication is interesting. The earliest form may be paintings that were made in caves during prehistoric times. But at the back of your mind, you know there is more to it than that. You start to imagine the other ways these cavemen conversed with each other. They may have used hand gestures combined with grunts and growls, but one could only speculate.
There are many ways to communicate today. You have modern stuff like the internet-powered Xorcom IP phones, and you still have older tech like trunk lines. What else could they come up with in the future? Technology in general moves forward at a fast pace and that suggests more stuff waiting for you there.
Three Dimensions
If there is one area where TV technology had not delivered yet to the mainstream, it is in displaying images in three dimensions. It is not a simple thing to pull off, as screens are physically flat. There are attempts that aim for eye trickery, but they mostly are not practical. Some require you to wear glasses, which defeats the purpose of the television being a device that a family or group of people can enjoy. The 3-D glasses could also be a niggling factor, as you cannot really make something that fits all face types. But that won’t stop researchers from continuing to explore the avenues that can help 3-D become accessible to the mainstream.
One of the technologies being developed is a screen that actually has three dimensions, and these are called volumetric displays. These take in to account the depth of the screen and it can be viewed without the aid of any peripherals. This is true glasses-free 3-D. So how does this fit into the current trends of communication? There are smartphones now that are equipped with depth sensors, and these are what would enable the transmission of live 3-D images. If you are amazed by having the ability to make video calls today, wait until you get to the next level with 3-D.
Sense of Touch
Modern communications technology is mostly received by the auditory and visual senses, but a person can also express themselves with a sense of touch. Body language is also an important component of conveying messages. Handshakes and pats on the back are powerful ways of expressing appreciation. Even if there are many ways to connect to you electronically, there are still people who like to meet physically as it makes the encounter more personal and intimate.
The physical touch would be impossible to replicate, at least with today’s technology. What you do have access to right now are small actuators that can be arranged together in a grid. This is relevant because while it may not be able to transmit the warmth of the human touch, it can provide an approximation of physical gestures mostly involving the hand. The actuators can move in a synchronized pattern that imitates the stroking or tapping of fingers. This is important because it will benefit the blind. Needless to say, this technology should also be capable of “displaying” Braille.
A lot of high-tech devices are dependent on the user’s eyes, and this instantly bars those without the sense of sight to enjoy them. The good thing is more devices are being developed to cater to their needs.
Refinements
Technology can give off both revolution and evolution of techniques. For the latter, expect more of the same but better in the pipeline. They may not be as striking as having innovation that is groundbreaking, but they move the world forward nonetheless. Networks will get faster and smartphones will become more powerful. You will be able to access even richer content online because of this. This also should make applications and online services work snappier. In the area of communication, you can expect to feel the impact mostly on features that are dependent on bandwidth, and the prime example of that is with video calls. You should expect them to be beamed to you at higher resolutions with fewer connection kinks.
The world would be in disarray if people are inept at talking to each other. Communications technology bridges them close to each other no matter how far away they may be. Things could only get better from here, and that will be to everyone’s benefit.
