11 tech trends that will define 2017

frog

No one can predict how the future will shake out, but we can make some educated guesses.

Global design and strategy firm frog has released its 2017 forecasts for the technologies that will define the upcoming year. Last year, the firm correctly predicted that virtual reality would explode in popularity and that sensors in things like appliances and thermometers would continue to shrink in size.

Get ready to step into the future.

Buildings will harness the powers of nature.

Around the world, large companies are leading the way in building solar-powered offices that don't rely on fossil fuels.

Frog strategist Agnes Pyrchla expects the trend to continue in 2017. 

"Taking a nod from natural patterns," she writes, "material scientists and architects have developed bricks with bacteria, made cement that captures carbon dioxide, and created building cooling systems using nothing but the available wind and our vibrant sun."

Business bots are going to be huge.

In the way the communication app Slack has merged bots into its chat service, frog strategist Toshi Mogi believes entrepreneurs will use artificial intelligence to handle the logistics of running a business. 

"The entrepreneur will commission an assortment of business bots to bring their vision to reality," Mogi says.

He uses the example of selling high-tech skateboards. A research and development bot might automatically solicit designs from freelancers, while a sales and marketing bot polishes the online e-commerce platform — all to help the business owner work faster and more precisely.

Synthetic food will be in every grocery store.

Designer Andrea Markdalen sees two big changes in store for food.

The first is that plant-based proteins will gain popularity as a replacement for slaughtering live animals. The second is that tissues drawn painlessly from live animals will be engineered to create synthetic, lab-grown food.

"In 2017, we'll see a broad range of new plant-based meat replacements at your local grocery store," Markdalen writes. "They will extend well beyond the vegan aisle, where most are currently relegated, and they will taste better than ever."