EDITORIAL
Customization key in customer demand in 2022 Who really knows what lies ahead of us in the coming weeks, months and year – in particular what trends will predominate through 2022? One thing is for sure - tech development is moving at an extremely rapid pace. Among the many year-end forecasts supplied to me by various industry analysts, this breakdown delivered by global electronics and connectivity innovator – Molex was off the charts. Molex’s team of industry watchers gathered the following sumnation of prognostications in tech for 2022.
Customization
This new year will usher in an era of mass customization, as consumers’ increasing demands for tailored experiences propel continued technology innovation. Nearly every industry will feel the impact of changing buyer attitudes and the desire to choose and pick “what works best for me.”
Automotive
• The vehicle experience is about more than driving. Consumers are seeking customization in their automotive choices, requesting more pick-and-choose or ad hoc bundles, including specialized entertainment options. Expect more decoupling of hardware and software to enable carmakers to deliver features and functionality that drive customer adoption. • Electric trucks are major EV growth catalyst. • Expect Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications to reach hyper-drive, so addressing rapid data capture, transfer and access will become an even bigger priority.
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4
Consumer Devices/IoT
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning will send device intelligence off the charts.Advancements in AI and ML will require greater compute processing power for a multitude of consumer products—from smart watches to appliances and home-security systems. • Multipurpose robots raise their profile.The labor shortage, new minimum wage requirements, e-commerce growth and inflation will accelerate the use of robots.
Data Center
• Disruptions continue in the technology ecosystem. Innovations and integration of electronics and photonics will ripple through data centers, enabling more seamless connectivity and device interactions while making on-the-go wellness monitoring and detection more mainstream. • As data speeds increase and fiber makes it directly into homes, more optical cabling will be needed.
Healthcare & Medtech
• ‘The quantified self’ demands attention. The phenomenon of self-tracking with technology and to the community of users and makers of tools focused on “self-knowledge through numbers” will drive technological advancements. The result will deliver real-time consumer health diagnostics that keep followers at peak performance, requiring seamless data capture and results exchange among devices and equipment tracking health-related vectors. • Medical devices get smarter. Evolving clinician and patient expectations dictate easier-to-use and more comfortable systems and delivery methods,
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such as smart inhalers, intelligent auto injectors, non-invasive glucose monitors and more.
Industry 4.0
• Smart factories will become a reality. Flexible factory architectures with broader implementation of sensors and consolidated sensor data will empower industrial automation. The result will be raised visibility and monitoring of entire facilities while increasing production-line innovations and operational efficiencies. • Production lines are reconfigured to manufacture custom products. Manufacturers will reduce dependencies on rigid hardware while using automation and robotics for more automated material handling, pick-and-place and reconfigurable production lines. • Automated guide vehicles push adoption of 5G private networks. As mobile robotics and automated guide vehicles become more prevalent, adoption of 5G private networks over wired Ethernet will grow, supporting low-latency, high-bandwidth, secure wireless communications.
In Conclusion
Under normal circumstances, staying in lock-step with the latest trends is not easy. Now, it can seem almost impossible, given the added complexities layered in with an unending pandemic, and growing global supply chain impingements. Kudos to all of Canada’s engineering centres across this land that have endured thus far – and continue to drive design excellence. STEPHEN LAW Editor slaw@ept.ca
Canada’s information leader for electronic engineers and designers JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 Volume 44, Number 1 READER SERVICE
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