We are definitely living in the future. Thanks to working in the tech industry, I am frequently reminded just how awesome modern technology is, and there are many examples I come across daily that continue to reinforce that the future is now.  Here are 8 pieces of tech that prove we are living in the future.

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It didn’t take long for our canine friends to join us in the smart revolution. While operating a smartphone is difficult for dogs due to the lack of opposable thumbs, smart collars give owners the ability to keep track of their pups from almost anywhere using an app on their phone. Think of it as a GPS Fitbit for your dog. If you are someone like me who worries about your four-legged friend spontaneously Shawshanking their way out of your locked house when you’re not there, this could be something to consider. A quick glance at the app while I’m sitting at work gives me comfort that my little guy cozy at home, likely eating his way through something I love, rather than running around on the streets. There are a lot of options out there, I personally use the Fi Smart Collar as it has all the features I was looking for with a really well-designed app. 

Depending on how you look at it, blue light glasses may not seem like they belong in a ‘tech’ category, let alone a list about ‘future tech’. But I ask you, is the fact that we had to invent a new type of lens to protect our eyes from a threat that has existed less than half a century not futuristic? While blue light itself is nothing new (see: The Sun), highly concentrated doses of it from sitting in front of a computer monitor or TV all day is a more modern issue. Scientists and Doctors aren’t in full agreement about what the true damages of blue light are, but if you’re someone like me staring at a screen all day, I’m willing to take all the help I can to keep staring at that screen all day instead of going outside. 

When I was in middle school I cut lawns for a few of my neighbors to make some extra cash. I have vivid memories of sitting in the burning summer sun and using every bit of strength I could muster to get the equipment fired up using the pull cord. Kids have it easy now though thanks to the electrification of…….. well pretty much anything that has a motor on it. Now all it takes is a charge of a battery and the push of a button and you are off to the races on virtually any piece of lawn equipment available. Thanks to brands like EGO, electric lawn equipment is becoming more mainstream as it continues to prove its viability. 

One day very soon, having a small 3D printer around your home or office will be as common as owning a paper printer. We have reached a point where the entry price for 3D printers is no longer the biggest hurdle to overcome, rather it’s the learning curve associated with using one the correct way. With more and more designs being uploaded to open source libraries, where anyone can download and print pre-designed objects, this learning curve continues to fall. Who knows, maybe one day you simply purchase designs for household objects, then download and 3D print them instantly, rather than ordering them online and waiting for them to be shipped.  

While certainly not the most common item on this list, I would venture to say this one may be the most futuristic. The Microsoft HoloLens may look like an odd piece of headgear, resembling a pair of goggles rather than glasses, but this bulkier design means more power. An entire computer’s worth of power. The HoloLens is used for what Microsoft calls Mixed Reality (MR), which sits right in the middle of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Mixed Reality means you can design, build and interact with virtual objects in the real world, as well as overlay information on top of real-world items. Because the HoloLens is a self-contained computer, it does not need to be tethered to any other device and can be used almost anywhere. With the advent of 5G, some futurists believe devices like this are set to replace tablets and laptops as much of the actual processing can be done elsewhere and sent to the device anywhere.

Tough to do a list about future tech and not include smartwatches. Jumping back again to my middle school days, the smartest watch we had was the ultra-cool calculator watch made by Casio, now we have smartwatches that do all kinds of useless things with varying levels of intelligence (calculator surprisingly hit or miss). Personally, I use an Apple Watch, and if you’re wondering why, then you must be new here. If you’re as plugged into the Apple ecosystem as I am then the watch is just a natural fit with a list of conveniences a mile long. With the number of options out there, it won’t take much searching to find one that’s a natural fit for you, there are some great competitors from Samsung and Fitbit if you are using an Android phone.

Ever been running through the airport, late for a flight, and thought to yourself “I wish I could just hop on my luggage and drive it to the gate”? Happens to me all the time. Or I should say used to happen to me all the time. Getting around the airport quickly and conveniently has never been easier thanks to the Zdcdy Smart Riding Scooter Syuitcase. Now I never worry if an airport has a tram, or how far away I have to park, I just hop on my luggage and go. *Please note*, not all airlines are super friendly about the drivable luggage yet because of the whole battery thing.

If you’ve ever wondered what the best way to make yourself sick while remaining totally stationary is, then look no further than First Person View (FPV) drones. The concept is pretty simple, you take a normal drone with a camera on it, then add special controls and VR goggles (similar looking to HoloLens), and presto you have a first-person view of your drone footage as you fly it around. This is actually an official sport now known as drone racing, where pilots(?) race FPV drones around various obstacles set up on a course. While drones can be pretty pricey, the experience is certainly one of a kind.