From the invention of the steam engine and the first Industrial Revolution, it’s rather a mystery how we got to be in the Fourth Industrial Revolution today. Within a few decades we’ve moved from a relatively simple steam engine to begin mass production and manufacturing. Now, we’re in the development of computer technologies and digitization. The Fourth Industrial Revolution brings the next step: artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and 3D printing. To help along this revolution, network companies are releasing the fifth generation of wireless technology (5G). This technology allows internet speeds of up to 10 gigabytes per second, that’s the equivalent of downloading two-and-a-half HD movies in one second.
So what does this mean for the average person on the street? Well, 5G is going to bring about advances in just about every sector of the economy, making our world more connected and bringing about nearly infinite possibilities and opportunities. Everything is moving towards centralization, where information from different companies are all available in one place, without official intelligence being able to create a massive database and remove duplicates. Making it easier for anyone to have a one-stop shop for anything they require.
Here is how 5G and the Fourth Industrial Revolution will change life as we know it:
Healthcare
Soon to be gone are the times of waiting in long queues to see a healthcare professional even if you have booked an appointment. Soon to be gone are the times where people in rural areas have to take hour long ambulance rides to see the specialists they need. With 5G and the internet of things it will become possible to perform surgeries remotely, it will be possible to have your medications delivered by drone, and it will be possible to have a virtual consultation with a healthcare professional. We may even see robots take over specialist medical fields like radiology and pathology using their artificial intelligence to interpret the pictures in front of them.
Retail
Retail is perhaps the biggest sector of the economy to be affected by 5G and the internet of things. Customers already have any item they could imagine at their fingertips, having it directly delivered to them. But what about having a 3D printer in your home that could literally manufacture the item you ordered right there in your home? And what about how more and more devices are becoming connected to the internet, constantly sending and receiving data, constantly updating their software, etc? This was limited with fourth-generation wireless technology, but 5G can cope with space to spare.
Travel
With the advent of self-driving cars on the horizon, there have been concerns about managing all of the data sent from these cars regarding traffic, temperature, and location. Now 5G gives us the ability to manage this data with high speed and makes the possibility of a global network of self-driving cars more within reach. It might not stop there, what about self flying planes or self-sailing ships? These ideas are becoming a real possibility.
Smart homes and cities
With the Fourth Industrial Revolution and fifth generation wireless technology, we could very soon see the day where people’s homes are connected on a giant network to monitor things in real time: like water and electricity usage. There may soon come a day where traffic lights are connected to a massive network that alerts technicians or even robots to traffic lights that are out- in much faster times than is currently available.
