The incredible gadgets in production that we can’t wait to see

Ten years ago, if someone had asked you what you’d expect to see existing in 2016, most people might have suggested flying cars or robot assistants. So while life hasn’t moved on as quickly as once thought it should, there’s absolutely no doubting that technology is taking over our lives. And no, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing.

Technology has the capability to take us to bigger and better places than we might have ever imagined. A few facts for you:

6 years ago, the tablet didn’t exist – and now it threatens to take over computers altogether. The iPhone was released less than 9 years ago, and we all know the power that Apple has over our future, whether we like it or not. There are roughly 6.8 billion people on the planet, 4 billion of which use a mobile phone – only 3 billion of those use a toothbrush.

The list of how tech affects our lives could go on and on, but the simple fact of the matter is that it’s only getting better, bolder and more consuming. So what are our most anticipated releases of the next year?

I’ve come to the (probably quite universal) conclusion that everything Mark Zuckerberg touches turns to gold. The guy is one of the richest men on the planet, worth over $50billion. Facebook was only founded in 2004 but now has over 1 billion daily users. Last year, it was no surprise to some when he announced that he had put his cash to good use and acquired Oculus, a virtual reality start-up. Later, Facebook stated that they would start shipping the device early this year – 28th of March to be precise.

(Photo: Oculus)

About the product

There’s no denying it: Virtual Reality is the stuff of the future. Rift promises to take you through a fully immersive, incredible experience that will see you placed in every situation you want to be: whether that entails stepping into your favourite game, watching a VR movie (yes, this will soon exist), or communicating with your friends via VR (yes, this will also exist). What sets Rift apart from its competitors (here’s looking at you, Samsung and HTC), is that the headset uses state-of-the-art displays and optics that have been designed specifically for it, offering you insane visual fidelity and a massive field of view.

Price

A bit of a shocker at an estimated £500, although some forums are saying that this is only the price of the first batch, and that it might decrease over time. Here’s hoping.

Available?

You can pre-order it now, and it’s set to be fully released on March 28th.

For more information, visit Oculus.

That vision of having a robot in your home by 2016 may actually come alive this year with Jibo, the newest revelation in Artificial Intelligence. The team behind Jibo is one of the best and most advanced in the game, with Chief Scientist and founder, Cynthia Breazeal, named as a serious pioneer in her field and one of the first professionals to come up with the science behind robotics.

(Photo: Jibo)

About the product

Jibo can literally do everything that you need and want it to – and more. A personal assistant? Definitely. Your second pair of eyes and ears? Without a doubt. This is Artificial Intelligence like you’ve only seen in films until now: Jibo recognises each and every person in your home, so it knows who it needs to speak to and when. It also stores all manner of information, politely reminding you where you need to be and at what point during the day. You know those people that say they wish there was two of them? Well, their dreams are going to be realised with Jibo: it can see you, it can hear you – it can literally become you. And weird as that is, we can’t wait to see it.

Price

Steep at £514 but when you consider exactly what Jibo can do for you, the value for money is absolutely incredible.

Available

The first batch of Jibo is already sold out, although customers won’t get their hands on the product until March or April. There will undoubtedly be a second batch released, so make sure you join the waiting list to get your hands on the future.

For more information, visit Jibo.

If you thought drones were cool, think again because soon you’ll be able to fly in your drone. Yup, you heard that. A human-sized drone has been built by Chinese company EHang and is set to be released later this year. The company was founded in 2014 and has recently received over $50 million in venture funding. And there’s a lot you can do with $50 million.

(Photo: EHang)

About the product

Weighing roughly 31 stone, the EHang 184 will reportedly be able to take a single person up to 500 metres off the ground on a 23-minute journey and to any point on Google Maps. There’s no need to worry about birds or any other flying drones, because the machine will automatically avoid any other object and will safely take-off and land. If you happen to run into trouble, there will be other humans sitting in custom build command centres…

Price

Rumoured to be going for a cool £250,000 – £300,000 – you’re going to have to save up for this one.

Available

There’s no telling exactly when this will be released, but it’s set to come out in the next couple of years, so make sure you keep your eye out if you want to get in on the action, gents.

For more information, visit EHang.

Richard Branson can be hailed as one of the greatest innovators of our time, and his Virgin Galactic experience is definitely innovative. Although not without its setbacks and fair share of media backlash, the concept to help humans get to space just as easily as they can travel to any other country is pretty cool. While this isn’t exactly a gadget per say, it’s definitely worth keeping your eye on.

(Photo: Virgin)

About the product

There are 552 in the entire world that have been to space, and Richard Branson has decided that this experience should be something that every single person should be able to do. Although the product isn’t yours to keep, it’s more the experience that you should be after when considering the Human Spaceflight. The purpose of the product is to become a spaceline for Earth, with the hope that our access to space will benefit our life on Earth in one way or another.

Price

If you’ve got £250,000 floating around, you can become at Virgin Galactic pilot. If I had that money, I’d do it – without a shadow of a doubt.

Available

It’s been pushed back and back for a while now (mainly because of the controversial crash in 2014), but don’t let that put you off. This product is tried and tested to its hearts content and it’s looking like its release could definitely happen in the next year. Here’s hoping.

For more information, visit Virgin Galactic

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