Introduction
The technological revolution of the 21st century will continue to shape the way people live now and in the future. Innovation will play a central role in solving the majority of problems being faced in the contemporary world. Specifically, in the field of agriculture, technological innovation is likely to introduce precision in agriculture for the production of enough food for the growing global population. Similarly, in the energy industry, there is a need for the use of clean energy, especially with the current concerns surrounding the unprecedented rate at which global warming is happening due to the continued use of fossil fuels and other human activities. This paper discusses an expected future innovation that would change how societies operate, and it highlights a technological innovation that I would introduce in society.
Expected Future Innovation
One of the future innovations expected to bring major changes in society is in the field of agriculture. With the ever-growing global population, people have to be fed for existence, and the agricultural industry is the leading candidate for the achievement of this objective. Additionally, the majority of countries in the developing world have agriculture as the backbone of their economies. The expected innovation is the introduction of smart drones and agile robots. These drones will have high-resolution cameras powered by artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve precision, land mapping, and treatment and monitoring of crops. These technologies will be used in a number of ways. First, the drones will help farmers identify and address issues associated with irrigation, crop treatment, soil variation, and distressed plants. As such, farmers will have useful data to understand their farming practices by highlighting areas that could be improved for optimal productivity.
In other words, drones will be used in planting and seeding for optimal growth rates. Smart drones could use the data collected using high-resolution 3D cameras to give precise information concerning the farm’s topography, soil composition, weed prevalence, and all other related farming aspects. As such, farmers will have useful real-time data concerning their farms to make the right decisions for the optimization of productivity. This innovation would introduce precision in farming. Additionally, agile robotics will work on the farms to plant, till, spray, and harvest crops. Consequently, minimum human intervention will be required. Ultimately, farmers will produce foods in large volumes, thus addressing the ever-present problem of shortages in various parts of the world. Additionally, the drones could be fitted with weather forecast capabilities to advise farmers of the best-suited crops to be planted during various seasons of the year.
The effects of this innovation on societies will be enormous. First, with improved agricultural productivity, there will be enough food to feed the majority of people, especially in famine-prone areas. According to Mercy Corps, hunger is a “debilitating crisis that has more than 820 million people in its grip, with millions more now under its threat due to the COVID-19 pandemic”. Over 40 countries are chronically affected by this problem of hunger. Therefore, the introduction of smart drones would enhance productivity, and with high produces being realized, there will be food to feed those in need. Another problem that could be solved by this innovation is the seasonality of rains in different parts of the world. A study conducted by De Perez et al. found that in East Africa, the failure to forecast weather precisely has contributed largely to food insecurity in the region. Therefore, with such drones, farmers will be in a position to anticipate changes in weather and act accordingly to ensure that they produce enough food for the masses.
My Innovation
If I were to take a step and bring innovation in any field, I would choose the energy sector. According to NASA, the greenhouse effect contributes significantly to global warming, and the burning of fossil fuels and other dirty fuels are the major causes of this effect. Therefore, to address this problem, I would implement smart wind and solar energy technology. Currently, this technology exists, but it has many drawbacks that prevent it from producing enough energy to serve the rising demands due to the increased population. Currently, it is a major challenge to integrate clean and sustainable energy into the existing power grid. Therefore, my innovation would leverage big data and AI to predict the amount of wind and solar power that can be generated within a given period. This information would be important in designing ways through which this form of energy could be incorporated into the power grid. This innovation will bring the benefits of clean energy to solve the problem of fossil fuels and slow down global warming.
This innovation will require the collaboration of all stakeholders in the energy sector for it to become a reality. First, government agencies have to be involved in the approval of the technology. I will also need to work with major players in the clean energy business to see what they have done so far and collaboratively see what we can improve by solving the existing loopholes. I will also need investors to fund my innovation because the process is costly, and I might not be in a position to bankroll the entire project. Networks are important in innovation because various players are needed for the facilitation of different aspects to being an idea to fruition. These collaborations involve regulatory bodies, investors, and other like-minded players. For instance, I do not need to start from scratch when companies have done a lot in the clean energy space. As such, I should identify loopholes in what they have and come up with a solution.
Conclusion
The use of smart drones in the future is likely to revolutionize the way farmers conduct their business. This technology will be fitted with AI-driven cameras and other capabilities to collect useful data for farmers to make the right choices concerning the type of crop to plant and the most appropriate time to till. As such, there will be enough food to feed close to 1 billion people facing food insecurity in the modern world. The problem of famine is chronic in the developing world where most farmers rely on rainfalls to plant crops, and thus this technology will be highly useful in such areas.
Personally, I would introduce innovation in the energy sector, specifically focusing on smart wind and solar energy. My innovation would major in ways that these forms of energy could be incorporated into the existing power grid. My innovation would help in solving the problem of global warming by reducing the overreliance on fossil fuels, which contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect. I would create strong networks with various entities, including regulatory authorities, investors, and other stakeholders in the clean energy industry to work collaboratively, bring my technology into existence, and help in preserving the earth.
References
De Perez, E. C., van Aalst, M., Choularton, R., van den Hurk, B., Mason, S., Nissan, H., & Schwager, S. (2019). From rain to famine: Assessing the utility of rainfall observations and seasonal forecasts to anticipate food insecurity in East Africa. Food Security, 11(1), 57-68.
Mercy Corps. (2020). The facts: What you need to know about global hunger. Web.
NASA. (2020). What is the greenhouse effect? Web.