It comes as no surprise to anyone that wireless technology has become a central aspect of our lives today. Of course, it’s hard to imagine a world without smartphones—simply look around and everyone seemingly has one in hand. But years ago, did people think that such technology would be as entrenched in our lives as it is today? After all, it wasn’t that long ago when cell phones weren’t even part of the culture.
Furthermore, services like Uber and Lyft, which are now a major part of our everyday lives, didn’t exist a mere 15 years ago. Back then, could we really predict that we would one day have such ridesharing companies? They represent only two of many examples that illustrate how technology has made such an impact on our lives. But this discussion does help lead to the next question: What will tomorrow’s technology bring us?
We’re constantly hearing about 5G communications and the great promise it holds. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see how 5G ultimately plays out. But what’s really eye-opening is that while we’re only at the dawn of the 5G era, some are already investigating 6G technology. That’s right, 6G technology! For proof of this, check out the article, “Looking Way Ahead to 6G," which examines a new sub-terahertz (sub-THz) testbed intended for 6G research. The testbed was built through a collaboration between National Instruments (NI) and Virginia Diodes (VDI).
In the article, NI’s Sarah Yost states she “thinks that this testbed for THz and sub-THz research definitely does fall into something that can truly be considered 6G technology.” She also noted that she’s “really looking forward to seeing where the research goes as we get into 6G and some of these ‘far-out’ applications and ideas for communications.”
We don’t know for certain what the technology of the future will look like. But what we do know is that while the world takes advantage of today’s technology, some people are busy researching what they hope will be the transformative technology in the future. What will the communications technology of tomorrow be like? Only time will tell.
