Battelle's top 10 technological challenges for organizations

Here is a short overview.

1. Affordable Home-Based Health Care.

Home health monitors and treatments and linkages to professional care centres present a huge challenge, and an enormous business opportunity, for the health care industry.

1. Personalized Consumer Products.

Products in the future will have to be almost as varied as individual customers. This market driver will force companies to be even more consumer-driven in designing and marketing their products.

1. Convergence of Technology in the Home.

In the next ten years, the home will be the place of convergence for private and public lives. The technology challenge is how to empower and protect individuals in their own homes.

1. Protecting the Environment and Natural Resources.

The easily accessible resources of our planet are now largely tapped out, so further economic growth will come from the smart management of remaining resources and our ability to use alternatives.

1. Human Interfaces.

Consumers will demand interfaces that go the next step beyond "user friendly." Tomorrow's successful technology-based products and services will be pleasing to our senses, more or less intuitively obvious, safe to use, and most of all, fun.

1. Nutritional Health.

Technologies are being developed now to engineer natural foods that will be packed with more vitamins, protein, and other nutrients. Other foods will have higher yields, longer shelf life, and natural resistance to pests. Packaging techniques will also increase the shelf life of foods, allowing us to store them longer and transport them farther.

1. Mobile Energy.

People are becoming increasingly mobile in extended travel for business and pleasure. They want easy and rapid communications, which require highly mobile energy sources. Companies also need more flexible energy and power. Distributed electric generation is widely expected.

1. Micro-Security.

Technology's security challenge will shift from national security--protecting nations from invading armies or missiles--to personal and community security. We will develop technology-based methods to keep us protected from crime and terrorism.

1. The Renewed Infrastructure.

New infrastructure needs will include new traffic control and management systems that could reduce travel times, and clean, safe, and practical mass transit systems.

1. Global Business Competition.

To achieve business growth in the new technological environment, companies will have to improve and expand their efforts at finding technology, acquiring it, and putting it to work around the world. They must use this new technology to improve efficiency, reduce waste and energy needs, and create new products and services.

More information: Battelle