Plant sensors to flexible batteries: Top 10 emerging technologies of 2023

List contains technological innovations that have redefined business, agriculture and health

A robot being assembled at Hanson Robotics, a robotics and AI company that creates humanlike robots, in Hong Kong. AFP

In the post-Covid era, emerging technologies have rapidly become major disrupters that have changed the way we live, work and play.

They have also redefined businesses, offering solutions for various complex challenges.

Generative artificial intelligence, for example, is currently disrupting industries across the board. A type of AI system that can generate text, images or other media, it uses neural networks to identify patterns and structures within existing data to generate new and original content.

Generative AI could add as much as $4.4 trillion annually to the global economy and will transform productivity across sectors with continued investment in the technology, a recent report by consultancy McKinsey found.

In a bid to help decision-makers prioritise emerging technologies in the coming months, the World Economic Forum has come up with a list of the top 10 emerging technologies of 2023.

The report, published by the WEF in collaboration with research services company Frontiers, compiles the perspectives of academics, industry leaders and futurists.

Sustainable aviation fuel

The use of sustainable aviation fuel based on green hydrogen and direct air capture is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 95 per cent when compared with conventional jet fuel.

The size of the global SAF market will exceed $14 billion by 2032, according to Precedence Research.

However, SAF, considered by the aviation industry to be the most significant contributor to achieving net-zero goals, requires a major boost in production from the current minuscule levels.

Wearable plant sensors

Global food production will need to increase by 70 per cent by 2050 to feed a growing global population, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation reported.

Crop monitoring is a key part of achieving this goal. Micro-sized needle sensors embedded in individual plants could yield a “wealth of data to improve plant health and increase agricultural productivity”, the WEF report said.

Traditional soil testing and visual inspections of crops are expensive and time-consuming, industry experts said.

These devices monitor temperature, humidity, moisture and nutrient levels to help optimise crop yields, reduce water and fertiliser use and detect early signs of disease.

Sustainable computing

Growth in AI, cloud computing and other technologies requires larger and more powerful data centre capacity.

Data centres currently consume 1 per cent of total global electricity production, but this is expected to grow in the coming years.

However, several sustainable computing technologies are emerging that are aimed at making the goal of net-zero energy data centres a reality, the report said.

These include using water to dissipate heat, alongside technologies that repurpose excess heat to warm buildings, heat water or use in industrial processes.

“AI-enabled systems can analyse and optimise energy use in real time, maximising efficiency and performance – reducing energy consumption by as much as 40 per cent at Google’s data centres,” it added.

Generative AI

The recent introduction of generative AI-based language models, like ChatGPT, has already affected life at schools, universities and workplaces.

If used properly, such tools can enhance productivity and creative output, the report said.

However, the technology goes beyond producing written texts, images and sound, with applications including drug design for specific medical conditions, architecture and engineering.

For example, Nasa engineers are developing AI systems to create lightweight space instruments, reducing development time and improving performance.

AI in health care

AI tools can prepare the global healthcare sector to both anticipate and better prepare for future pandemics.

Such systems could help increase the efficiency of healthcare systems to tackle health crises and improve people's access to health care.

It could reduce waiting times by aligning treatment needs with available medical resources and increasing medical outreach, the report said.

It would also be beneficial particularly in developing countries, which often lack sufficient infrastructure and staff to provide widespread access to healthcare services.

Metaverse for mental health

Virtual environments open up new opportunities to provide mental health treatments, covering a range of telemedicine applications, including prevention, diagnostics, therapy, education and research, the report said.

Several gaming platforms have already been established to help people with conditions like depression and anxiety or to encourage mindfulness and meditation.

Designer phages

Phages are viruses that solely kill and selectively attack bacteria, according to the University of California San Diego School of Medicine.

They are the most common biological entities in nature, and they have been shown to effectively fight and destroy multi-drug resistant bacteria, it added.

For example, when all antibiotics fail, phages still succeed in killing the bacteria and preventing infection.

Bioengineers can reprogramme a phage’s genetic information so it transmits genetic instructions to bacteria to change how they function, allowing for the treatment of various diseases.

Spatial omics

The human body is a collection of about 37.2 trillion cells.

To understand how microbiological processes work, scientists have developed a method called spatial omics, which combines advanced imaging techniques with sophisticated DNA-sequencing processes.

Using spatial omics, scientists can observe intricate details of cell architecture and biological processes that were previously unobservable, the report said.

Flexible batteries

Flexible batteries are made of lightweight materials that can be twisted, stretched, bent into different shapes and even coated on to carbon-based materials like carbon fibre or cloth.

These rechargeable, bendable batteries are being used in “roll-up computer screens, smart clothing and wearable electronics, including healthcare devices and biometric sensors”, the report said.

Flexible neural electronics

Brain-machine interfaces allow direct communication between the brain and external computers.

So far, the technology has been based on rigid electronics and limited by the mechanical mismatch with brain tissues.

But breakthroughs in flexible electronics and more biocompatible materials mean a less invasive experience for patients.

BMI-type technologies are already in use to treat patients with epilepsy as well as those with prosthetic limbs that use electrodes to connect with the nervous system.