Business ideas for 2013: Emerging technologies

Ramy Khuffash, co-founder of soon-to-launch digital journal Narrato, says there are plenty of other new technologies to get excited about in 2013. His list includes the much-discussed 3D printing devices, which are getting better and cheaper and some experts believe will revolutionise the way we manufacture things, leading to a second industrial revolution of sorts.

The technology allows people to create models of blueprints as if being ‘printed’ by machines. Whereas before printing involved paper and ink, now we can create vehicles, fossil replicas, kitchen ware, even weapons simply by pressing a button and standing back.

It presents obvious opportunities for technology brands to create ever faster and more powerful printers, but also for manufacturers and retailers who will benefit from cheaper and more efficient means of production.

Targeted, contextual advertising, the sort of thing that Facebook is desperately trying to get right, is all the rage. Online advertising can’t match print, radio or TV for premium feel or for conveying brand messages, but it can learn to target consumers in situations where they are most likely to respond to the call to buy – this is the area that will grow in 2013.

Last on Khuffash’s list is Quantified Self-Movement: “This is all about using sensors to collect and analyse data about yourself. Sensors are getting cheaper and wearable technology is getting more popular, which means it’s easier than ever to collect data about all aspects of our lives.”

Published Mar 2013