5 Business Technology Trends to Watch in 2017

Business technology is constantly evolving, and with every new advancement, business owners have the opportunity to improve the way they run their companies. From machine learning to communication innovation, new products are emerging every day. If you want to make these new technologies a part of your business plan this year, there are a few technology trends to watch for this year that may help you reach the goals you have set for your company.

1.     Mobile Payments

Gone are the days when customers had to rush to the nearest ATM to pull out cash for a purchase. Mobile payments are almost everywhere now, from small, locally-owned businesses to larger companies that allow their customers to pay with an electronic signature when goods or services are delivered to their homes. Some businesses are using popular apps, such as Apple or Samsung Pay, while others have adapted other means of letting their customers pay with the touch of a mobile app.

Allowing your customers to take advantage of mobile payments may have several benefits for your business. The biggest advantage is that can boost buying convenience for your clients, which is usually high on the list of customer priorities when it comes to making purchases. It can also help you collect data about the types of purchases your customers are making and which goods and services you may want to promote or scale back.

2.     Smart Apps and Devices

Smart apps are evolving and can do more than ever. While these apps are used for a variety of personal purposes, they can also help organize and prioritize your business. For example, if you run a small business, smart apps and responsive devices that can listen and perform tasks as they are requested may help you save time by digitally ordering supplies and sending messages for you. This could help you streamline duties that might otherwise take up much of your time during the day.

Connecting your employees to new technology may give your business a boost as well. Apps that allow them to communicate a variety of information to you and to their coworkers or to upload it into a secure system that can only be accessed by certain personnel could improve employee productivity, especially for those who work remotely. If your company is located in a major Canadian city, such as Toronto, a business that offers Canadian office phone systems may be able to provide you with communication solutions for clients and remote employees to improve the way you communicate with both.

3.     Data Collection

If you run a small business, you may think that tracking big data technology might be a waste of time. However, even the way you organize your customers’ data can directly impact your sales numbers, and the way you protect it can affect how much trusts your clients put in your company. Being aware of new data trends may allow you to give your customers a more humanized customer service experience and make them feel less like a number and more like someone who matters to your company.

Services like cloud security may help you keep customer information safer than it might be when stored in your company’s main database at the office. Even smaller businesses might be targeted by data thieves, so it may be worth your time to research new technological storage options.

4.     Voice Over IP

Voice over internet protocol is not a brand new technology, but it is one that has changed and evolved since its introduction a little over a decade ago. This type of communication service allows you to make and receive phone calls over a broadband service, whether you are in or out of the office. A VoIP service provider can help you review the needs of your business and what kinds of services you might require.

VoIP technology means much more than making and receiving calls, however. Depending on the nature of your business, a provider could offer you call waiting, conferencing options, and video options that would allow you to communicate with employees and clients over broadband. Many companies are offering more access points than ever, which could result in greater mobility for you and anyone in your company who uses the technology.

As business technology continues to change, you may find that some products and services are a better fit for your company than others. However, staying aware of new tech trends can allow you to pick and choose certain technologies with more confidence and make the best decisions possible for your company.

Research Leads to a Golden Discovery for Wearable Technology

With an improvement of wearable technology, it is perhaps not impractical to think of a wonderful wearable device, which works as your mobile and your earring or your wristwatch. However, the newest thing that you may now see is the application of pure gold on these wearable devices, and this has been accomplished by Missouri S&T researchers.

Coating of gold on silicon-

In one of the journals, the scientists of S&T have talked about an option to develop thin golden layers on a crystal silicon wafer. They have to take out the golden foil to apply them just as a kind of substrates. Other available electronic stuffs may be developed on them. The new discovery of researchers may bring about some transformation in the field of wearable items. Moreover, it also proves an improvement of similar electronics on the coming days.

One of the leading scientists, Jay Switzer has said that a significant amount of study has been conducted in the domain of wearable technologies with the use of polymer-based substrates. Some substrates also comprise crystals. They are placed into semiconductor in order to bring the flexibility. However, there may be a loss of order, maintained by silicon. As there is more than one crystal, they may have grain limits, which restrict the functioning of some electronic systems.

If we consider a semiconductor, there are holes and electrons, opposite to each other. They may also blend the stated boundaries in order to produce heat. Most of the electronic appliances are manufactured with silicon as this is more affordable item. In addition to it, the performance of this substance is also good. There is a perfect alignment of all atoms. However, while only one crystal is present, the level of flexibility is not much high.

What positive features gold mar bring to a foil-

The scientists have, at first, started their work with one silicon crystal, and after that, they have considered golden foils. As gold is present in the foil, both flexibility and durability are high. The system may be twisted almost four thousand times. But, the level of resistance cannot get altered.

Some challenges have been faced by the researchers at the time of unpeeling the thin foil layer. The bolding between silicon and gold is very strong. To get rid of the problem, photo electrochemical process is used for silicon oxidization. In this oxidization, light allows semiconductor for promoting the reaction. Several golden foils may be designed with single silicon.

The overall research is really a pleasure to the scientists, who wanted to get an affordable way for creating distinct crystals. Many people, who like to deal with such materials, may have some interest in this matter. Moreover, it also gives important data to those, who desire working on these crystals. The team of researchers, who are involved in this issue, includes expert in the field of chemistry and engineering. And with the efforts of all these professionals, the research has been successful.

Furhat Robot Eavesdrops on Men and Women to See How Much They Talk

Robotic systems, created by scientists in the modern world, are really amazing to us. We cannot imagine how a complicated task is easily accomplished by robots. Obviously, it is the intelligence of scientists that may allow robotic structures to get programmed properly to do any work. However, one of the latest innovations in this field is a robot, which is equipped with the capacity of overhearing something. When the robot is installed in a place, it may find out how all the existing people interact with each other.

Different level of conversations among various people-

To describe about the look of this small robot, it is to be said that the researchers have covered its head with a hat, lined with fur. Lots of experimental studies have been done on head of robot that is termed as Furhat. These are intended to know all the disparities in the participation of every person, while dealing with a project or any other activity. The scientists want to make out whether this Furhat robot is able to maintain a balance. From the analysis, it has been observed that while there is a pairing of two women, they speak considerably. However, if it is a pair with male member, she does not speak much. Again, the pairing of two guys does not involve more conversation than that of 2 women. The above things are true only in case of adult persons. For teenage girls or boys, the same reaction is not seen. But, sex is not an importance factor to create a difference.

How the experiment is done with Furhat robot-

The Furhat robot has made an interaction with more than five hundred people in an experiment, which continues for 9 days. At a table, 2 persons have taken their seats at particular time, and a Touchscreen is placed at the opposite side. These people have played one game, in which some virtual cards have to be sorted.

Furhat Robot has interacted with them to do a task, and its sensors have recorded the duration for which a person speaks to another one. Female pairs communicates for almost 45 % of the available time, while for males, it is 26 %.

In the pairs of kids and adults, the latter one converse more. But, the gap is increased, while a man is coupled with a girl. While it is the turn of a Furhat robot to speak out anything, it presents some random behavior. At this point, one may realize the way a robotic system may affect the communication.

The complete research and observation has been exhibited at a conference in Austria. Same type of trials has also been done in laboratory. Thus, the results seem to become more exciting, while everything is done in a normal setting. However, these outcomes may differ vary according to various cultures. But, the effect of Furhat robot on conversations can assist in improving educational aspects. It also helps to bring about behavioral changes in a person.

Mapping the Effects of Crystal Defects

A crystal seems to be flawless because almost all the cells have perfect configuration of molecules or atoms. Every cell is also positioned in a 3D space without any distortion. Many cells have more than one atom. However, when there is any imperfection, it is considered as crystal defects.

Dislocation types in a crystal-

Dislocation is one of the common defects that you may see in many crystals. It is such as aspect, where atoms do not remain in proper place in a structure of crystal. In fact, dislocation may be caused due to the application of stress.Dislocations can be of two types- screw and edge defects. Some of the defects are also a combination of these two extreme levels of dislocation. These imperfections have considerable impact on the phonons and on the crystals’ electrical features. Edge dislocation may be observed very easily. Locus for imperfect points in any lattice is placed next to the line. The bonds of atoms are highly distorted.

Screw defect is little harder to be identified. Its motion is caused because of some stress. However, movement of the line is vertical to the displacement of atoms. Some atoms do not get shifted from actual place, while others are transferred to a new site. Many other atoms may also be engaged in the moving process. Just a part of bonds gets separated at particular time. This kind of movement does not need much amount of force.

Data collected by studying about dislocations-

Some experts at MIT have discovered significant data on the working of all interactions. Such efforts may be helpful to create thermoelectric tools and many other advanced electronic structures. All the details from research have been issued in a journal (named as Nano Letters). Li, who is associated with the journal, has considered dislocation as a kind of atomic defects in standard crystal.

How to know about crystal dislocation-

In fact, there’re two different techniques, which are useful to clarify the dislocation or defect of phonon. With the explanation of Li, some queries have been solved. MIT members have detected a fresh statistical process in order to evaluate the systems. With the use of quasi particle, these experts have created dislon in order to have a clarification of all the mysteries.

The latest theory may start differently because this mainly depends on thorough quantum theory. Perhaps, it settles many issues, which cause a dispute on static and dynamic scattering system. It has been seen that these are two acute cases in a same framework.

Li as well as his associates have led to some progress as they have dealt with the facts about the field of dislocation strain. A professor of Missouri University has said that dislocation may lead an intense impact on composition of any material. However, the field of strain with longer range may prevent any direct measurement of the effects of dislocation. Quantization, related to a research paper, can solve the problems, and such approach may also develop the perception of the results from dislocations.

Smart Antenna- A Versatile System Suited for all Laptops

Smart antenna system has now become one of the hot topics in the field of research. This is such a system of antenna, which has some circuit components, related to the radiating parts. The signal that is received may control more than one property of antenna. A well-designed antenna for laptop and Smartphone has been launched by British engineers, and it extends the life of battery with the use of less amount of energy. Thus, it is more advantageous than the traditional antennas.

Smart antenna- Know about its major concept-

This smart antenna comprises a number of antenna parts, and their signals are thoroughly processed to develop a space of channel for Smartphone radio. Technology, which is related to this technology, may significantly recover the performance of wireless structure. It also allows PC operators to understand an enhancement of the quality of signal, coverage and capacity of network.

The latest design of Smart antenna, created with the experts at Birmingham University, has led to the introduction of SAT. It also gathers all the present antennas of mobile into a single unit. Nowadays, Smartphone needs maximum 7 antennas separately for Bluetooth, GPS system and Wi-Fi because of the constraints in physics.

In the United Kingdom, this new set Smart antenna may replace almost five individual antennas of any regular laptop. Sampson Hu (CEO of SAT) has stated that in the past, the antennas were separated physically because of some difficulty in attaining positive isolation of signal among antennas. Investors have contributed £3.3 million in order to this newest system of Smart antenna. In the present PCs, Wi-Fi antennas should be kept separate in order that there may not be any frequency interference.

Some challenges in placing antennas-

When your laptop is stored within a metal case, it seems to become impractical to insert antenna system on motherboard or on screen. So, it is to be placed within a hinge opening. But, this opening is not enough to add two traditional antennas- for your 3G LTE and Wi-Fi.

While these antennas have been placed together, their interference hampers the efficiency level and boosts up the usage of battery. However, the issue may be solved with the MIMO system of antenna. Every antenna is to be combined to each other to form only one system.

SAT- As one of the latest and most sophisticated inventions-

According to Sampson Hu, the new Smart antenna is the foremost model, which integrates all the functions to create a simple unit, with the reduction of size and price. Another problem, to be noted, is that it restricts any antenna, while you place your hand on laptop.

Thus, it is a comprehensive solution that may settle the issues, and avoid interference, which is common for any standard or average design of antennas. SAT, in fact, has increased the grants of British government, and thus, it may allow the development of significant business. The subsequent phase of development will lead to considerable production in UK.