22 new technologies for real investment in 2022
In the technology industry, rapid success takes years of development. So what else can appear in our life? Here are 22 new technologies to watch for investors in 2022:
It is known that dust and ash emitted by volcanoes into the upper atmosphere have a cooling effect: The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 cooled the Earth by as much as 0.5 ° C over 4 years. Solar Geoengineering - managing solar radiation, plans to do the same on purpose.
This is a huge controversy. Will this work? How will this affect precipitation and weather conditions? And won't that undermine efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions? Attempts to test this idea in practice are met with fierce opposition from politicians and activists.
However, in 2022, a group at Harvard University hopes to conduct an experiment called "SCOPEX". It involves launching a balloon into the stratosphere to release 2 kg of special material. Then measure how it evaporates, reacts, and dissipates solar energy.
The project's supporters plan to find out the technology's performance. Solar geoengineering could buy the world time to reduce greenhouse emissions. The Harvard Group has set up an independent advisory group to consider moral and political implications.
Keeping buildings warm in winter accounts for about 25% of global energy consumption. Most of the heating is carried out by burning coal, gas or oil. The most promising alternative is the use of heat pumps - refrigerators working in the opposite direction.
When it is cold outside, the heat pump pumps heat from the outside to heat the room. Reverse operation of the heat pump cools the house. It simply moves the existing heat. For each kilowatt of electricity consumed, heat pumps can produce 3 kW of heat - operation is cheaper than electric radiators.
San Francisco-based Gradient plans to launch such a heat pump in 2022. The special low profile "saddle bag" shape allows the heat pump to be installed in the window like an air conditioner.
Electric batteries can only power small planes for short flights. But can water-only hydrogen fuel cells be used in long-haul aircraft?
In 2022, hydrogen fuel cell passenger aircraft will be tested:
● two-seater aircraft being developed by Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands,
● California-based ZeroAvia plans to complete testing of a 20-seat aircraft and intends to have its hydrogen propulsion system ready for certification by the end of 2022.
● Universal Hydrogen hopes to take off its 40-seat aircraft in September 2022.
Direct capture of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is causing global warming. So why not suck it out with machines? Several startups are developing direct air capture (DAC) technology:
● in 2022, the Canadian company Carbon Engineering will begin construction of the world's largest direct air capture plant in Texas with a capacity of 1 million tons of CO2 per year,
● The Swiss company ClimeWorks will open a plant for the utilization of CO2 in mineral form in Iceland in 2021. It is planned to bury the obtained CO2 in the amount of 4,000 tons per year,
● the American company Global Thermostat has 2 experimental plants.
DAC can become vital in the fight against climate change. Now there is a race to reduce the cost and scale up the technology.
Vertical farms grow plants on trays in a closed, controlled environment. Efficient LED lighting made the process cheaper. To reduce transport costs and harmful emissions, vertical farms are planned to be located near consumers. The use of water is kept to a minimum. Insects are repelled, so no pesticides are required.
Some companies' plans for the creation and expansion of vertical farms:
● in the UK, Jones Food Company will open the world's largest 13,750 m2 vertical farm in 2022,
● American company AeroFarms will open its largest vertical farm in Danville, Virginia,
● Nordic Harvest will expand its facility near Copenhagen and build a new one in Stockholm,
● Plenty will open a new indoor farm near Los Angeles, California.
Vertical farms mainly produce highly valuable leafy greens and herbs. Some of them master the cultivation of tomatoes, peppers, and berries. The challenge now is to ensure economic efficiency.
Container ships with sails
Ships generate 3% of greenhouse gas emissions. The combustion of marine bunker fuel, dirty diesel sludge, contributes to the formation of acid rain. In the era of sails, there were no such problems. Therefore, the sails are returned in the high-tech form to reduce costs and emissions.
The International Wind Ships Association proposes to quadruple the number of large cargo ships with sails by the end of 2022 - up to 40 ships:
● in 2022, the French company Michelin will equip a cargo ship with an inflatable sail to reduce fuel consumption by 20%,
● the Japanese shipping company MOL plans to install a telescopic rigid sail on the ship in August 2022,
● Italian company Naos Design expects to equip 8 vessels with its swiveling and folding rigid "sails-wings",
● others use kites, "suction wings" and giant rotating cylinders - Flettner rotors.
The European Union plans to include shipping in its carbon trading scheme in 2022. This will give an additional impetus to the development of sailing technology.
Most people don't exercise. Many would like to study but lack motivation. Virtual reality (VR) headsets enable people to play games and burn calories.
VR workouts took off during the pandemic when gyms were closed and the powerful and affordable Oculus Quest 2 was released.
The Supernatural VR workout app, available only in North America, may be released in Europe.
Vaccines against HIV and malaria
The impressive success of Corona Viral RNA vaccines heralds a golden era in vaccine development:
● Moderna is developing an HIV vaccine based on the same RNA technology used in the coronavirus vaccine. Clinical trials began in 2021. Preliminary results are expected in 2022,
● BioNTech is working on a malaria vaccine. Clinical trials are due to start in 2022,
● vaccines against HIV and malaria are being developed at the University of Oxford.
For years, researchers have been developing methods to create artificial organs using 3D printing of biological materials. The ultimate goal is to take a few cells from a patient and create fully functional organs for transplantation.
Particle3d and ADAM hope that in 2022 3D-printed bones will be available for implantation in humans. Both companies use calcium-based minerals to print bones. Implants are made according to the size of the patient - based on computed tomograms.
Tests of Particle3d in pigs and mice confirmed the growth of bone marrow and blood vessels into implants for 8 weeks.
3D-printed ADAM implants stimulate the natural growth of bones and gradually decompose, being replaced by the patient's bone tissue.
"... next in line is the 3D-printed blood vessels and heart valves."
Flying taxis or electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft have long been considered something of a fantasy. In 2022, several companies around the world will begin test flights. Certification of aircraft for commercial use is planned for the next year or two.
Joby Aviation of California plans to build more than 12 of its five-seat aircraft. The flight range will be 150 miles. Germany-based Volocopter plans to provide air taxi services for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Other contenders include eHang, Lilium and Vertical Aerospace. Watch the sky.
In July 2021, Virgin Galactic surpassed Blue Origin and made a suborbital flight in its own spacecraft. In September 2021, SpaceX sent 4 passengers on a multi-day orbital flight around the Earth.
All three companies hope to send more tourists in 2022. Virgin Galactic is modifying its apparatus to increase durability and safety. The flight will not take place until the second half of 2022, and commercial services will begin in the fourth quarter. Blue Origin is planning more flights. SpaceX has struck a deal to send tourists to the International Space Station.
The new rules, which came into force in 2021, will help unmanned deliveries gain altitude in 2022:
● Manna is an Irish startup. Delivers books, food and medicine in County Galway. Plans to expand its service to Ireland and the UK.
● Wing is a subsidiary of Google. Made test deliveries in America, Australia and Finland. Plans to expand its home delivery service.
● Dronamics is a Bulgarian startup. Will start using winged drones to deliver cargo between 39 European airports.
The main task is to increase the speed of delivery of goods by unmanned aerial vehicles.
Silent supersonic aircraft
For 50 years, scientists have studied the shape of a supersonic aircraft and the reduction in the power of its sonic boom. Modern computers have allowed the necessary simulations to be carried out to translate noise reduction theory into practice.
The X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology will make its first test flight in 2022. It is very important that the tests take place over land. The commercial supersonic airliner Concorde was not allowed to travel faster than sound when flying over the ground. The X-59's sonic boom volume will be 8 times quieter than the Concorde and equivalent to a distant thunderclap. Regulatory authorities will be able to lift the ban on supersonic flight over the ground in the event of successful tests of the X-59. A new era will open for commercial flights.
Architects often use 3D printing to create scale models of buildings. The technology can be scaled up and used for the construction of real objects. Materials spill out of the nozzle in the form of foam, which then solidifies. Layer by layer, the house is printed - either on site or in multiple parts in the factory that are transported and assembled.
In 2022, California-based Mighty Buildings will complete 15 eco-friendly 3D-printed homes. Texas-based ICON plans to start building a community of 100 3D printed houses.
It has become a fashionable fad in Silicon Valley. Tech geeks increase productivity during waking hours and optimize their sleep by using:
● rings and bandages that record and track sleep quality,
● soothing sound machines,
● devices for heating and cooling mattresses,
● smart alarms that wake up at the right time.
In 2021, Google released a sleep tracking tablet. A similar device is expected from Amazon in 2022. Poor sleep is associated with various diseases - heart disease, obesity ... Often, the fashionable technologies of Silicon Valley are spreading all over the world.
Each person's metabolism is unique. Food choices must also be unique. Personalized nutrition apps use:
● machine learning algorithms,
● analyzes of blood and intestinal microflora,
● data on lifestyle, exercise,
● tracking blood sugar levels in real time.
In the United States, several companies are successfully engaged in personalized catering and are planning to enter the markets of other countries in 2022. Some seek regulatory approval for diabetes and migraine headaches.
Remote medical consultations have become commonplace. This could change the perspective of medical wrist trackers - Fitbit or Apple Watch. They currently measure:
● running and swimming speed,
● heart rate during exercise
● oxygen saturation of the blood,
● ECG and atrial fibrillation.
The next version of the Apple Watch will receive new sensors for measurement:
● blood glucose and alcohol levels,
Rockley Photonics develops sensory technology and calls its system the wrist clinic. Physicians and users will pay more attention to data from wearable devices.
The concept of "metaverse" was introduced in 1992 by Neil Stevenson's novel "Snow Crash". Through special glasses, people could meet in the virtual world, flirt, play games, buy and sell things ...
In 2022, the "metaverse" means the convergence of video games, social media and entertainment to create new, immersive experiences. For example, swimming inside your favorite song at an online concert or buying virtual real estate. Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite are stepping stones to a new environment. Facebook has renamed itself Meta to take advantage of the new features.
An idea from the 1990s has evolved into a multi-billion dollar competition between governments, tech giants, and startups to create a new kind of computer. A quantum computer will allow you to quickly perform computations in cryptography, chemistry, and finance.
One of the indicators of the capabilities of a quantum computer is the number of cubits. The Chinese team has built a 66-qubit computer. The American company IBM hopes to reach 433 qubits in 2022 and 1000 by 2023.
Existing machines have a fatal flaw: fragile quantum states last only a fraction of a second. It takes time to correct this deficiency. Quantum computing can become a commercial reality if existing machines can be made useful.
Virtual influencer will never be late for a photo shoot, get drunk at a party, and never get old. Computer generated characters advertise products on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
The most famous of them: Miquela Sousa - “Lil Miquela”. Fictional Brazilian American 19 year old girl with 3 million Instagram followers.
Aya Stellar, an interstellar traveler, will land on Earth in February 2022. Created by Cosmiq Universe Marketing Agency.
In 2022, $15 billion will be spent on influencer marketing.
In April 2021, Neuralink implanted two tiny electrodes in a monkey's brain. The signals from these electrodes allowed the monkey to move the screen blade in the Pong game using his thoughts.
In 2022, Neuralink plans to test computer control of paralyzed people through its device. Synchron has received US regulatory approval to begin human testing of its device. A neural prosthesis is inserted into the brain through the blood vessels in the neck. Possibilities of using the prosthesis:
● helping paralyzed people,
● diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system,
● treatment of epilepsy, depression and hypertension.
Now about 70 companies "grow" meat in bioreactors. In 2020, Eat Just, a San Francisco-based artificial meat company, received permission to sell its products in Singapore.
In 2022, Israeli startup Super Meat expects to receive permission to commercially sell grown chicken burgers for $10. California-based Finless Foods is hoping to get permission to sell farmed bluefin tuna at $440 a kilogram. Bacon, turkey and other cultivated meats are under development.
