Preview the Hottest Emerging Tech for 2015

31.08.2015

From the connected home and self-driving cars to virtual reality, there are tons of emerging technologies we hear about everyday.

But most of the time its hard to tell when, if ever, any of these things will become part of our daily life.

Fortunatley, research firm Gartner does its best to track the evolution of these emerging technologies to predict when they will become mainstream. On Tuesday Gartner published its annual Hype Cycle, which is a chart that lays out where the hottest technologies are in terms of adoption. Take a look below to see just how far off these hot technologies are.

Gartner’s Hype Cycle shows the maturity and adoption of specific technologies through various stages.

Technologies basically travel through five different phases in the cycle. First, there is the “Technology Trigger,” where a potential technology breakthrough kicks things off. These are generally more than 10 years out.

Technologies then climb to the second stage, which is the “Peak of Inflated Expectations.” This is the phase where technologies reach the height of their publicity and a lot of companies enter the space.

During the third stage, things start becoming a little more realistic. The technology enters the “Trough of Disillusionment” where interest begins to wane and there’s a shakeout between industry players. Some companies succeed; some companies fail.

After that, surviving companies enter the “Slope of Enlightenment” phase where the real use-cases of the technology become apparent and widely understood.

And the last stage is the “Plateau of Productivity,” where the once emerging tech begins to go mainstream.

At the peak of the hype cycle this year is, you guessed it, autonomous vehicles.

According to the report, autonomous cars are only five to ten years away from going mainstream. But they are now entering the phase where they are getting the most attention.