President Trump‘s security detail now includes flying drones. It’s not just heads of state that are seeing technological advances change the way we look at security, though.The entire industry is in the midst of a revolution, thanks to a perfect storm of new technologies that will define next-generation security and surveillance.
Science-fiction buffs are quick to point out where a given book, show or movie may have predicted the future.For example, consider the tablet devices we see in Star Trek or the creation of cyberspace in William Gibson’s 1984 novel Neuromancer. Now we get to see a new generation of ideas once only imagined or viewed on the silver screen come to life. Here’s a look at some of the definitive technologies for next-generation security.
Artificial Intelligence
Speaking of science fiction, here’s a term you’ll recognize from the genre. AI has been characterized as the single greatest leap forward in human technology, but also the potential undoing of human existence. Today’s tech companies don’t seem frightened, though.
They are doing everything possible to learn more about how to build an artificial version of the human brain, capable of learning based on its experiences. In a security application, such a technology could strategically identify vulnerabilities in a system and plug the holes before assailants attempt to exploit them. With cybercrime on the rise every day, a breakthrough can’t come soon enough.
3-D Printing
Imagine having a panic room in your home where you could print a gun. Maybe it could even fabricate you nearly unlimited food rations until police arrive. Security is just one of the fields that additive manufacturing stands to revolutionize.
For the military, this promising technology could revolutionize field medicine by allowing for bandages or even replacement tissue to be applied by robots. That is, assuming we still have soldiers on the field.
Drones
Drones have been in use by the consumer market for quite some time now, but only recently have they started to become more common as a method of surveillance and security.
Security drones can do everything from snap pictures of suspicious or illegal activities, to actually chase down and follow potentially dangerous suspects. Some surveillance drones can hit speeds as fast as 50 mph, and may also have the advantage of LED or infrared lights to better capture pictures and video.
Wearable Devices
Your vital signs can be valuable information in a situation where security is a concern. That’s why wearable devices will have the ability to transmit crucial data like heart rate, body temperature and even stress levels, allowing security companies to rush help to you in a critical scenario.
Such devices could take the shape of a watch, shirt or even headphones, and will operate using the same technologies that many existing IoT devices use.
Biometrics
It seems like biometrics has been a part of the security conversation for a long time now, but we’ve been waiting for it to mature. The future has arrived. Retinal scanning, facial recognition, even your sitting posture, heartbeat and scent can be used to recognize a unique human being.
As everyday life becomes overwrought with passwords, the chance to put them away, at least when accessing personal property, is a definite win that people will pay their security provider extra for.
The age of privacy may be behind us, but security is still something everyone has to consider. As we turn the corner into a new reality where abundantly available personal information makes it possible for criminals to target practically anyone, you would do well to leverage the latest in security technology.
These new advances suggest you can still be secure in an increasingly exposed world. What we’ll see in the years to come will probably be refinements of these technologies, rather than new breakthroughs.
