What is Bleeding Edge?
Bleeding edge technology can be defined as any product or service that, within the context of its time, is new and advanced. Bleeding edge technology tends to be very experimental and typically has not gone through sufficient testing; because of this, many of these new technologies can potentially be unreliable, heavily flawed, or even pose some sort of risk to the consumer.[1]
Despite the risks, numerous companies make heavy use of bleeding edge technologies due to their potential benefits. Over time, many of the issues with the technologies may be sorted out which will be a great boon to these companies. One of the great benefits is companies getting a head-start on a potential new market. Likewise, if the technology does not become common, the companies could suffer greatly due to the technology failing to take off.
Video (Trans)Coding Unit
Started in 2015, YouTube has been developing a way to improve data consumption used when user’s upload videos. Previously, when a video was uploaded, it would only be transcoded into a single format and then the system would compress the video to accommodate the device being used. On an article posted on YouTube’s official blog, the YouTube team stated that the old system would eventually need to be replaced and over time, would only become less reliable.
“[It’s] costly and slow, and doing that processing… is pretty inefficient, especially as you add more and more videos.”
– The YouTube Team
With recent advancements in specialized hardware accelerators, YouTube had overhauled their video infrastructure. The new method YouTube has developed is known as Video (Trans)Coding Unit, or VCU. This new system is fundamentally different to the old, putting much more emphasis on a hardware-based system. Special chips were created for the purpose of transcoding videos, alongside software that utilized these chips.[2] With this new system, videos would be transcoded and compressed far more efficiently than before.
“We’ve seen up to 20-33x improvements in compute efficiency compared to our previous optimized system…”
– The YouTube Team
Microsoft’s IVAS
The HoloLens, developed by Microsoft, is a pair of smart glasses that utilize mixed reality to improve productivity for businesses and organizations. The United States Army have taken interest in the potential of the HoloLens and are working with Microsoft to develop headsets for use in training and, potentially, in the field. These headsets are known as the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS. They are based on the HoloLens and are augmented by Microsoft Azure.
On March 31, the United States Army announced that IVAS have moved from prototyping to production. The headsets will increase soldier safety and efficiency through the many capabilities they provide.
“The IVAS aggregates multiple technologies into an architecture that allows the Soldier to Fight, Rehearse, and Train using a single platform.”
– The United States Army
The various new technologies include: next-gen night and thermal vision, sensors, and augmented reality. The headsets will be able to replicate life-like environments and scenarios prior to real engagements.[4] The other enhancements will help soldiers’ situational awareness, decision-making, and target engagement. With all these innovations, soldiers will receive better training and be much more prepared for real missions. While they will primarily utilized for training purposes, the Army intends to incorporate them into on-the-field use.
Vehicle Safety
In the realm of technological advances, many have been in relation to car safety. Up-and-coming car models have new systems intended to greatly increase the safety of passengers and decrease the rate of collisions and accidents. Two of these companies implementing these innovations are Ford and Toyota with Co-Pilot360 and Safety Sense, respectively. While previous car models had features such as cruise control and alert systems, these newer systems being implemented are far more advanced.
Cruise control systems have become more dynamic; cars will now be able to alter their follow distance based on the speed of the vehicle in front. More in-depth alert systems provide alerts when vehicles are a car’s blind spot, alerts when the car is leaving its lane, cross-traffic alerts, better cameras and sensors. Ford’s Co-Pilot360 helps control a vehicle’s speed when descending steep terrain, helps vehicles evade collisions in the case of abrupt stops, and assists vehicle’s in staying within their lanes.[5] Toyota’s Safety Sense can detect road signs, detect nearby pedestrians, and automatically change a vehicle’s headlights by detecting surrounding cars.[6]
Closing
The use of bleeding edge technology leads to the development of the products that innovate and change the way we live. In the case of the innovations mentioned, these advancements are the result of investing into something that could potentially fail and using previous technology, in conjunction with newer technology, to produce something more reliable and efficient.
Sources
[1] Liberto, D. (2021, May 19). Bleeding Edge Definition. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bleeding-edge.asp
[2] The YouTube Team Apr.21.2021. (2021, March 10). Reimagining video infrastructure to empower YouTube. blog.youtube. https://blog.youtube/inside-youtube/new-era-video-infrastructure/
[3] IVAS Production Contract Award. Program Executive Office Soldier. (2021, March 31). https://www.peosoldier.army.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2556870/ivas-production-contract-award/
[4] Kipman, A. (2021, April 2). Army moves Microsoft HoloLens-based headset from prototyping to production phase. The Official Microsoft Blog. https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2021/03/31/army-moves-microsoft-hololens-based-headset-from-prototyping-to-production-phase/
[5] Ford® Driver Assist Technologies: Ford Co-Pilot 360™. Ford Motor Company. (n.d.). https://www.ford.com/technology/driver-assist-technology/
[6] Toyota Safety Sense. (n.d.). https://www.toyota.com/safety-sense/