B1: Week 2 - Group B, Lee

Topic: Future

BIM 
Improving upon GPS technology that tracks objects' locations, indoor location technology is rapidly gaining interest and investment. Through various methods, indoor tracking has been made possible despite its complexity; however, it has not been used in our daily life because of lack of modularity among devices that allow such technology to work and customers' complaints that they are not comfortable being tracked of their locations. 

The prospect of the indoor location technology is promising. By recording and analyzing customers' demands and tendencies, the stores are able to accommodate them accordingly. I agree with Dodge, a Google executive, that this technology will be big in the future as it compensates for weakness of GPS tracking indoors. 

As Rikki said in her post, many companies have been adapting BIM technologies but have not made it common and useful despite its potential. I agree that it is important for more companies to adapt BIM technology and train the employees to take advantage of it. It will certainly broaden the scope of building designs and management. The article mentions that there are still numerous retailers and stores that are attempting to use indoor tracking technology for customers despite the failure of Nordstrom's experiment. Such endeavor is due to many companies' belief that indoor location technology will one day be essential to the future BIM. I highly recommend 

Kopytoff, Verne. "Stores Sniff Out Smartphones to Follow Shoppers." MIT Technology Review. MIT, 12 Nov. 2013. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://www.technologyreview.com/news/520811/stores-sniff-out-smartphones-to-follow-shoppers/>.

3D PRINTING
It is incredible to see how much 3D printing technology has advanced in the past few years. As Dmitriy said in his post, the potential applications of 3D printing is yet to be discovered. Its applications in various areas make 3D printing unique and desirable to many professions. As a result, many parts and products such as tools, human organs and electronics have been produced.  

This article introduces the usage of 3D printing in manufacturing environment. Although the traditional method of making nodes in structures is still cheaper, the research team from Arup is confident that 3D printing will soon take over the traditional method. Similar efforts as this has been common in the 3D printing technology and it definitely leads to innovation. Many companies are always looking to think out of the box to replace traditional methods for improved efficiency and less cost. More achievements will inspire others to invest and it is only a matter of time before 3D printing technology is universally used to its potential. 

Stott, Rory. "Arup Develops 3D Printing Technique for Structural Steel" 06 Jun 2014. ArchDaily. Accessed 12 Jan 2015. <http://www.archdaily.com/?p=514003>

STRUCTURES
The article introduces a new rehab project of the Fraunhofer Institute, which is a 100 year old building that is being transformed into a base for research and applications for modern technologies. It is noted that there are ample technology products that could be used in buildings to improve efficiency and sustainability but the issue is whether it is worth investing into these replacements which will be costly at first. In that regard, the initiative that the Fraunhofer Institute took to apply green technology is definitely inspiring. 

The new rehab project allow visualization of pipes and ducts within the building which will be tremendously beneficial to engineers who work with HVAC system of the building. In addition, it uses walls and windows that consist of materials whose performance can be documented. I think this project demonstrates that there are many technologies that can be incorporated into building structures in order to improve its energy efficiency. It is a great pity that these advanced technologies cannot be used due to its high installation cost. I believe that the cost of these technologies will decrease through constant research and development in this field. 

LaMonica, Martin. "Putting Building Science into Practice." MIT Technology Review. MIT, 21 Jan. 2013. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://www.technologyreview.com/view/510131/putting-building-science-into-practice/>.

FUTURE

The article brings up an interesting perspective regarding privacy. It states that the definition of privacy will change in the future. In the past, privacy meant that nobody is watching. But in the present world, it is practically impossible to live a life without giving any personal information. In fact, only those with authority and power will be able to do so with big investment. Therefore, the article suggests that in the future, there will be disparity between privacy rich and privacy poor where poor will not be able to afford to keep their information from being available. 
Reading about privacy made me realize how much personal information I have given out. Whether it is to sign up for a discount membership or to pay for house utilities, my information is given out without much consideration. I don't consider it very valuable at the moment but I'm now afraid that it will hold a great value in the future. I definitely need to be more aware and cautious of the invasion of privacy that come in the name of technology. Just like the Nordstrom experiment of the indoor location tracking, I may not be comfortable with my personal information being taken but I understand it is for the benefit of the customers with the use of technology. Catherine mentioned in her post that the technology is meant to be developed to ensure safety of users. I think this issue of safety and privacy will always exist in the technology development and should be monitored so it does not breach the code of ethics.

Lafrance, Adrienne. "By 2025, the Definition of 'Privacy' Will Have Changed." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 18 Dec. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/12/by-2025-the-definition-of-privacy-will-have-changed/383869/>.