These 15 big technology products have reshaped human society

Technology can change the way people live, and even change the way people relate to one another. Today, technologies such as 3D printing are changing the way they are made, democratizing creativity; mobile apps are buying the way people buy, and mobile commerce accounts for 20% of all e-commerce activity; What's more, even the way we drink water is being altered by nano-filtration. At the same time, Google Glasses (Google Glass) and other technologies are making us closer to the Internet than ever before. (Original from Business Insider, Tencent Technology translation)

Here's a look at how technology is transforming the entire human society.

1. Driverless cars are changing the way people travel

On the road to California State, Google's driverless cars are now occasionally seen, and the company is testing its self-driving car program in the state. However, the car will not be available for sale until 2018 years.

According to Google's forecasts, driverless cars can reduce the number of car crashes each year by half from the current 1.2 million people. Whether human society is ready for such a car is unknown, but driverless cars will surely be one of the options. In addition to Google, other companies such as Toyota and Audi are also working to develop their own driverless cars.

2. Google glasses will turn man into a half robot.

Google glasses have been one of the most exciting products for some time, because the impact of this product is enormous. Google Glasses will make daily life closer to people's senses, and enhance the interaction between people and the surrounding environment. The connection between people and the Internet will be stronger than ever, and Google glasses can also make it possible for people to view text messages, news articles, Twitter messages and other very useful information in the real world.

Through Google glasses, people can record everything around them, and then store the recorded information in the cloud service, so that people remember every moment of their lives.

3. Wearable health tracker is turning everyone into a wellness fan.

With applications and services such as Nike FuelBand, Fitbit and Zeo, people are becoming more and more data created in their daily lives. Wearable health trackers help people track how many calories they burn, how many steps they take, and how much they sleep, which are part of a "quantitative ego" movement designed to make it stronger and help people understand themselves through their own data.

4. The Internet is creating a shared economy

There are already a number of startups in the shared economy, where people will rent their homes, cars, parking lots, camping tents and many other things to share. There are Airbnb in the field of apartment rentals, rent the runway in high-end fashion and accessories leasing, sidecar in the Car rental field, and so forth. But without the Internet as a medium, none of this can be done.

5. Robots are changing the workforce

In the United States, industrial robots, which are cheap enough to handle a series of simple tasks and work safely with human workers, are starting to surface.

Rethink Robotics's first robotic Baxter can handle a variety of materials, load or unload from a conveyor belt, perform quality checks on components, operate machines to some extent, and pack and unpack boxes. Rethink Robotics's goal is to improve America's competitiveness by creating low-cost manufacturing techniques and processes. If everything goes as planned, Baxter Robots should be able to merge with human workers to help America compete better with low-wage overseas labor.

The ultimate goal of the Baxter robot is to accomplish more complex tasks, such as assembling parts on an electronic assembly line. In addition, Rethink Robotics is also working on developing software to make Baxter robots better able to communicate with conveyor belts and other machines.

6. Smartphones make it easy for people to connect with each other

Smartphones are a very useful tool to keep you connected to the world, such as email, news, stocks, and so on. Map services ensure that people will never get lost in places where there is a cell phone signal, while Tinder and Grindr can help people get to know new friends nearby.

But the frequency with which people use smartphones is a little disconcerting. According to a recent study by IDC, a market-research firm, 79% of smartphone users will watch mobile phones in the first 15 minutes of their waking hours, while 48% of users will use smartphones in stadiums, and 50% will use Facebook services in cinemas. In addition, text messages have become more common than phone calls, which means that people talk less with their voices, and that communication is becoming more frequent.

7. Social networks are changing the way people interact with each other

Facebook and Twitter offer a platform to keep people in touch with friends, family and even strangers around the world. At the same time, social media is giving birth to social activism, providing a way for people to connect with each other for their common cause and ambition. Social media played an important role in the Arab Spring (Arab Spring), when protesters used social media such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to update events in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain in real time.

In the early stages, activists had relied heavily on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to speed up the sport, and through YouTube, protesters could upload and share videos with protests and political commentary, many of which spread at the end of the virus, Some of the most watched videos were viewed nearly 5.5 million times.

8.3D printing is changing the way people make products, but it also creates creativity.

3D printing is making it easier for the general public to carry out manufacturing activities, and even push for major breakthroughs in the healthcare industry. Just this month, a 3D printer has just created the world's first personal liver. Companies such as MakerBot, Printrbot and Shapeways are developing 3D printers that are cheap enough to be affordable to the average person, allowing the device to reach thousands of households. In addition, the availability of 3D printers has even contributed to a market that specializes in 3D printed items.

9. Nanofiltration technology is helping hundreds of thousands of of people to produce and drink clean water

Unsanitary water poses great health risks. According to data released by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 3.4 million people die each year from water-related diseases, which is what lifesaver is entering. Lifesaver is a water bottle using nanofiltration technology that can be used to purify drinking waters and remove bacteria, viruses, cysts, parasites, fungi and other microbial aquatic pathogens.

10. Gesture control devices are awakening people's senses and promoting cooperation

The computer mouse has begun to become a bit outdated, and new technology is not coming out, allowing people to interact with the computer simply by waving the action. Through leap Motion, people can use gesture instead of mouse to better present their ideas on the display.

The Thalmic Labs Lab has developed another technology called MYO, which allows people to control other devices using action, unlike Leap Motion, which eliminates the need for a webcam, but rather a way to get people to control computers, video games, and even remote-controlled airplanes by perceiving the electrical activity of the human muscles.

11. Touch-screen devices and WiFi in the underground transportation system will dramatically improve the way people travel

New York is planning to install 77 new touch-screen queries in metro stations throughout the five districts, which will provide metro planning tools, information about service updates and delays, and advertising. Each 47-inch touch screen will be equipped with sensors, video cameras, microphones and WiFi to facilitate communication between Metro passengers and the Greater New York Traffic Authority (MTA). According to control group's vision, in the future sponsored content will also login to these touch screen, streaming media video even the online version of the puzzle game "Jeopardy" and so on.

At the same time, New York will also provide wifi in the subway station, so that passengers can continue to send text messages and make phone calls while they are waiting. But in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Bay Area's urban rail transit system (Rapid Transit) has taken a step further, allowing people to use wireless connections on the subway, and may soon launch free WiFi services.

12.iPad and mobile phones are changing people's retail experience

In the past, people can only rely on interpersonal interaction in retail stores to do shopping, and occasionally do catalogue shopping, but this is the end of the day, because companies such as Apple will allow you to buy goods from the purchase to the payment to go out of the store without talking to anyone. At some point, Apple Stores may be unable to find shop assistants because of too many customers, and easypay apps allow consumers to pay for chargers, phone kits and software without having to interact with any shop assistants.

The rise of the tablet has helped to improve the retail experience, with many physical retailers using tablets as mobile cash registers. Suqare, for example, allows retailers to completely subvert traditional methods of payment, and its reader and register applications allow businesses to use iphones, ipads or Android devices to accept credit or debit card payments.

13. Smartphone apps are turning people into last-tier consumers, but it also creates laziness

The impact of application on human society can sometimes be incredibly hard to believe. The usual lines of the Apple ads, "There's app for" (which always has an application available), are not exaggerated but very real. Technology companies are constantly developing new applications to make life easier and easier for people. Fantastical is now one of the best calendar applications; Evernote can make sure you carry all your notes with you, no matter what equipment you use, and Uber can help you when you can't get a taxi.

But the application also creates laziness and unnecessary spending. Through the restaurant delivery service seamless, theoretically you can never stay at home, in the rest of your life and food, nutrition and adequate living. Likewise, grocery delivery applications FreshDirect.

14. Photo-sharing websites are changing people's perceptions of privacy

Facebook and its photo-sharing platform, Instagram, have contributed to an overly-shared economy that allows people to share photos of themselves and friends, from meals to private beaches. When people choose to use Facebook, Instagram, or even Flickr, they end up with a little "footprint" of personal information that will stay on the internet forever.

The recent online self-destruct photo application Snapchat is designed to help people solve this problem. But you still face the risk of sharing photos that you don't want to be seen.

15. Speaking of the issue of privacy, it will remind people of the drone

The use of drones by the government and law enforcement agencies has raised concerns about privacy, but others say they should not be afraid of drones. As smartphones have been created, advanced technologies such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, armed processors and GPs have followed, making it possible to produce low-cost, highly functional drones. People have started using drones to search for climbers and skiers in rescue operations, using drones to photograph their homes, or surveying archaeological sites in Africa.

FedEx and other companies have begun to look forward to the day when drones are allowed to enter standard American airspace. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will officially allow drones to be commercially available from 2015, but its flight altitude must not exceed 400 feet (122 meters) above ground, and should be separated from any airport by at least 5 miles (about 8-kilometer).