TECHNOLOGY is altering our world at a velocity by no means seen earlier than. And, it does so for the higher: making our lives simpler, safer and giving us experiences that till not too long ago we may have solely dreamed of. If know-how can ship all that, it’s apparent that it additionally generally is a catalyst for social good. And, driving will probably be connectivity and related gadgets. Yet, now we have solely seen just a few glimpses of what know-how can do for humankind. Thanks to our trade management throughout the entire spectrum of consumer-facing applied sciences – from digital home equipment and sensible cell gadgets to healthcare options and semiconductors – we at Samsung are uniquely positioned to see know-how’s full potential. So let me deal with 4 massive tendencies, the place I consider know-how is ready to be a right away catalyst for social good. Technology has the facility to enhance training of younger individuals all world wide. When we take into consideration sensible, related lecture rooms, it’s not nearly integrating tablets into the college atmosphere to present kids higher digital expertise; it’s actually about giving them a brand new means of studying – that’s extra collaborative, extra interactive and attracts on a richer mixture of content material.

Technology additionally has the potential to degree the enjoying subject for youngsters in deprived communities, by giving them entry to high quality academic materials and growing their digital expertise. That’s why, since 2013, Samsung has opened greater than 1,000 Smart Schools, tailor-made for 6-16 yr olds, in 92 international locations. So far, greater than 270,000 college students have benefited from our Smart School initiatives, and skilled the facility of digital studying. Another instance is the Samsung Digital Academy; state-of-the-art studying facilities for 16-24 yr olds with digital lecture rooms, and analysis zones for sensible and vocational training. They give younger individuals the digital expertise they want for the roles of the longer term. So far, now we have arrange greater than 120 academies, and skilled 17,000 individuals.

Another space that sensible know-how will rework is healthcare. Technology has the potential to take healthcare to areas that till now have had no or little entry to first-class medical assist. Take Sub-Saharan Africa, the place greater than 60% of the inhabitants reside in distant areas; offering healthcare there’s a enormous problem. Our solar-powered cell well being facilities have made an actual distinction; throughout the previous two years greater than 82,000 sufferers in distant communities have been helped by our cell healthcare models.

Adding connectivity to medical and sensible cell gadgets helps sufferers in every single place to evaluate their very own well being and share the outcomes with their physician. Or, consider medical emergencies, the place the outcomes of assessments carried out by paramedics can arrive on the hospital effectively earlier than the affected person, to make sure instantaneous and correct therapy. For many years, digital know-how was comparatively cumbersome to make use of, and other people with impairments usually discovered it tough or unimaginable to get pleasure from its advantages. Thankfully, that’s altering. New know-how can now speed up discoveries and prospects for everybody. Our flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6, has many accessibility options. Visually impaired individuals, for instance, can entry a contextual menu simply by flicking or swiping the display screen, and allow a speech management operate. Samsung’s EYECAN+ is one other instance. It’s a mouse that helps individuals browse the net by way of easy eye motion, opening up the web to individuals who can’t use a conventional mouse. The EYECAN+ prices solely $50 to fabricate and is powered by open supply software program. These are simply a few examples that present how know-how can really be a catalyst for social good.

But there’s one other know-how development that can really change our world for the higher. You might have heard of the Internet of Things, or IoT for brief. It’s bringing collectively our bodily and digital worlds, by giving on a regular basis objects sensors, connectivity and computing energy, and intelligently connecting all of them, in order that they will make our lives extra environment friendly and handy. IoT shall be centered on people, which is why we at Samsung choose to name it the “Internet for You.”

For instance, let’s assume it’s a must to go to work, and your private home wakes you up early, as a result of it is aware of that there’s a building web site in your path to work, and you have to further time. As you permit the home, your private home robotically locks the doorways and home windows, and switches off the air-con or heating, as a result of it is aware of you don’t need to waste the power when you’re at work. Your automotive’s navigation system tells your home to activate the heating, since you’re in your means again. Cars discuss to one another, to distribute the visitors evenly throughout the roads. And, at house, the music you’ve been listening to in your automotive transfers seamlessly to your audio system.  Already, now we have TV’s that sense your actions and pause or resume enjoying a film as you permit and re-enter the room; there are washing machines you can monitor and management by way of your smartphone, and there are lots of extra concepts and applied sciences that can enrich individuals’s lives by turning on a regular basis moments into pleasing experiences.

IoT can rework our world, by taking the ache out of city residing or, for instance, by serving to areas affected by drought to preserve water.What’s so thrilling is that this isn’t a imaginative and prescient of some distant future – this know-how exists now, and the IoT ecosystem is getting ever richer. Samsung has made a dedication that 90 % of all our merchandise shall be IoT-ready by 2017. That’s loads of IoT gadgets, when you think about that final yr alone, we made 665 million merchandise. We have reached a watershed second within the historical past of our relationship with know-how; it’s not about issues or the machines anymore, it’s about individuals. At Samsung, now we have at all times innovated primarily based on a deep understanding of what individuals need. That’s why I consider that Samsung – with its greater than 300,000 staff in 84 international locations world wide – is completely positioned to assist flip know-how right into a catalyst for social good.

We need to join and companion with individuals in every single place to study and share information. And, we need to use our world community and big funding in innovation – of greater than $40 million a day – to unleash know-how’s prospects for social good world wide.

• Adeagbo writes in through halimatadeagbo19@gmail.com