Virtual reality and augmented reality are pinpointed as technologies in advanced stages of Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, whereas the ‘connected home’ is currently in the top four technologies at the ‘peak of inflated expectations’ for 2016.
The hype cycle aims to interpret technology hype and argues that emerging technologies go through five stages starting with ‘Technology Trigger’ with a break through technology and ending with the ‘Plateau of Productivity’ when mainstream adoption takes off. According to the cycle, this plateau will not be fully realised for the connected home for five to ten years.
Before the final stage the cycle demonstrates that technologies will transition through the ‘Slope of Enlightenment’ where people start to realise benefits as a technology is more widely understood. In 2016 Gartner puts virtual reality in this stage.
AR is slightly further back in the Hype Cycle with Gartner suggesting it is going through the ‘Trough of Disillusionment’ where interest wanes and some implementations fail to deliver.
Gartner believes that both AR and VR will reach the plateau in five to ten years.
Aside from these flagship advanced areas, the entire hype cycle has other implications of note for the residential industry, with user interfaces, gesture control and IoT among featured technologies.
The 2016 Hype Cycle Report is based on insight from more than 2,000 technologies. Gartner pinpoints three technologies trends as the highest priority of organisations: ‘Transparently immersive experiences’, ‘The perceptual smart machine age’ and ‘The platform revolution’.
Read Garner’s press release here.