IOT

Mobile app driven IoT has many applications, including management of household devices and interactions with smart buildings.

Smart homes can manage energy usage, turn on and off heating, lighting and appliances.

Sensors in smart buildings can identify the movement of individuals through apps geolocation and personalize their experience.

Mobile apps are used as a command centre, an IoT gateway connects devices into a single system stored on the cloud, where all data is aggregated and automated.

Artificial Intelligence

AI is used for data mining to collect and analyse data, enabling powerful relevant, personalized and predictive features in app.

AI can automate user tasks, such as the fastest route to a chosen destination.

It can recognise faces and uses biometrics to recognize images such as plants and food to give specific information.

AI enables speech, a conversational user interface allows apps to obey voices, while speech synthesis technology allows mobiles to speak in reply.

AI’s face and voice recognition skills are attuned to read emotions and sentiment.

Geolocation

Location based apps enable geo targeted information and services.

Your geo targeting enables the weather app to know your location, a ride share app to pick up at your address and GPS trackers to take you on foot, in car or indoors to your chosen destination.

Geolocation is being used to innovate new products such as children trackers and route trackers in fitness apps.

Geo location has also allowed innovation of services such as; click and collect, last minute events and travel, dating apps for people nearby and location check in status.

Virtual Reality

VR apps immerse the viewer in an imaginary world where objects can be activated and users can move in all directions.

VR apps have been applied in education, real estate, retail, health, entertainment and fitness. The rapidly growing number of applications for VR include;

• Zoom VR can allow you to zoom 'into' or 'out of' your natural world view. You can soar like an eagle around the world using Google Earth VR, or deep dive into the human anatomy,
• Retail VR allows you to virtually try on clothes in stores like the Ebay-Myer world first virtual store or use ASOS body scanning technology to get the right size of clothes.
• Movies 3D movies in virtual reality brings the IMAX theatre experience in your own home, both Netflix and Youtube have their own 3D movie collection.
• Real Estate VR has brought virtual inspections to the world of real estate, using Matterport cameras to film a building 3D walkthrough
• Fitness The Supernatural work out app can set you up with a virtual boxing coach
• Medicine VR in medicine is helping PSTD survivors recover through exposure therapy

Chatbots

Chatbots are tools that allow people to converse over the internet with AI assistants. Messaging apps such as as Telegram and Slack are integrating these Chatbots into their ecosystem.
The possibilities for chatbots are endless. Here are some of the more notable chatbots in the market.

• AI Duolingo helps users learn new languages,
• LARK AI is a fitness training and weight loss coach which aggregates health advice from global experts.
• Mona, is your personal assistant chatbot,
• Book Flight is a bot to book travel,
• Joy chatbot can help you with your mental health,
• Digital AI automates your budget,
• H&M chatbot is your personal stylist in your pocket,
• Medwhat is a medical diagnostic tool,
• DoNotPay automates legal advice
• Kuki, a goal orientated chatbot is considered the most human like of them all.

Automation

Automation is freeing us from repetitive tasks and apps are no exception. Apps, connected to IoT devices are converting our home, into smart homes. Devices such as humidifiers, light dimmers, thermostats, cameras, air conditioners and refridgerators, audio and video players, smart key locks are being orchestrated by a predefined set of rules.

Use the smart home automation to control your home security, entertainment, home energy and run time.

You can save time with repetitive tasks using Automate app, which allows you to automate tasks on your phone using flow charts. Popular mobile automations include; 'messages on arrival to a location', 'morning messages' or 'apps which read to you out loud and save text to other devices'.

Blockchain

Decentralised applications, Dapps, use smart contracts to complete transactions between two anonymous parties. Dapps run on peer-to-peer networks such as blockchain. Examples include Cryptoexchanges such as Coinbase, crypto lending platforms such as Maker DAO and Uniswap and NFT trading platforms such as Opensea. Dapps also have creative applications, used to incentivize social good such as Karma Dapp and Dapps for fun such as, Azarus the play and bet for tokens gaming platform. Crypto kitties took the Dapp world by storm with its cult following Dapp which allowed users to trade, breed and collect digital cat NFT’s.

Dapps will continue to evolve as the technology becomes more ubiquitous and the user interface becomes more easy to use.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality creates simulated worlds and views that have practical applications across many enterprises and endeavours.

Google, an early mover in Augmented Reality has utilized its extensive knowledgebase in Google Lens, an object and landmark identifying application. Google Map AR functions allows users to navigate to a destination using a virtual map and directions.

AR continues to be applied in novel and innovative ways, here are just some of the things you can already do with AR;

• Mission to Mars allows you to land a rocket and explore the Martian surface.
• BBC civilization 3D renders artifacts from ancient civilisations
• Museum Alive give you a 3D view of ancient ecosystems and animals.
• Starwalk will name the stars and constellation in the night sky.
• YouCam Makeup will allow you to try on virtual makeup,
• Inkhunter will let you try a tattoo on your skin before its permanent.
• Ikea catolgues are now in AR, see the furniture placed within your home before you buy.
• AR in Snapchat, Instagram and Holo allow you to add your own creative special effects to pictures and videos.