Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Technology
According to industry statistics, the worldwide market for RFID technology was US $1.49 billion in 2004. Between then and the bright growth prospects, the demand for RFID systems increased this year. A Research & Markets report this year discussed how the RFID industry figures were at $1.95 billion in 2005 (and how they are forecasted to grow to $26.9 billion in 2015). The RFID vendors this year increasingly gained from the sale of RFID hardware components. The RFID applications are used for security/access control, toll collection, animal tracking, automobile immobilization and many others.

Research & Markets pointed out: "Newer applications are being developed where the RFID Systems can be used, [especially] in the United States. Various end users in the vertical markets will be able to derive direct benefits from the RFID systems integrators." Different plans that have been implemented in the economic sectors include those at Wal-Mart, Metro AG, Target, Tesco and the U.S. Department of Defense.

Nanotech
As Entrepreneur magazine has pointed out, nanotechnology is considered by some to be this generation's "plastics." As such, nanotechnology — the creation of materials at the molecular level, enhancing their capabilities — this year was hot.

Researchers seem daily to be claiming new nano-scale properties and applications.

For example, Pennsylvania State University researchers in August demonstrated "a new technique for nano-manufacturing that could make it significantly easier to create high-precision components for nanoscale electronics, sensing devices and the like," reported PhysOrg. Known as microdisplacement printing, the new technique is based on a widely used patterning method known as microcontact printing — "a simple way of fabricating chemical patterns that does not require clean rooms and other kinds of special and expensive environments."

Additionally, as we covered recently, carbon nanotubes were used by UK and Korean researchers to make a nano-scale electromechanical switch for the first time, announced in October. "Nanotubes are a form of high-tech soot that contains a residue that averages five percent iron," noted Scientific American earlier this year. The new form of carbon is different from both graphite and diamond, possessing tensile strengths many times higher than steel, and supposedly conducting heat and electricity better than diamond and copper. They purportedly could enable better transmission lines with lower power losses and long cables with enormous strength."

The $13 billion in nanoproducts already on the market represent just the beginning of a worldwide boom. The U.S. is already taking a leadership role in developing this market; half of the $4 billion spent to date by corporations and investors globally on nanotech R&D came from the U.S.

Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is by no means a brand-new technology, but it came of age in 2005. Wi-Fi, commonly considered short for wireless fidelity, allows users to connect to the Internet from virtually anywhere at speeds of up to 54Mbps. Wi-Fi-enabled computers and handsets use radio technologies based on the IEEE 802.11 standard to send and receive data anywhere within the range of a base station. (IEEE 802.11b is a standard that has been developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.)

According to the Wi-Fi Alliance in November, Wi-Fi technology saw its annual unit sales grow to more than 100 million chipsets in six years, according to new data released by the global, non-profit industry association and In-Stat. "It's now a staple of computer networking and a powerful presence in millions of homes and businesses. The 100 million chipset milestone was quickly passed and the explosive 64 percent average yearly growth rate reflects the transforming nature of Wi-Fi and the value of interoperable, standards-based technology," according to the two organizations' news.

In fact, the technology this year became so mainstream that the term "Wi-Fi" and its definition were included in the new 2005 copyright of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.

Worldwide revenue from wireless network services is expected to reach $969 million this year, according to a report released in September by In-Stat and covered by CNET. The market will begin to mature in the beginning of 2006, and worldwide revenue will more than triple over the next four years, rising to $3.46 billion in 2009, the market researcher said.

Robots
As we recently noted, findings released by industry trade group Robotic Industries Association (RIA) gleaned that "North American robotics suppliers saw orders leap 36 percent in the first half of 2005, putting the industry on pace for a record year," as 10,712 robots were ordered by North American companies through June. Overall sales for North American robot suppliers totaled $673.1 million in the first half of this year.

The manufacturing industry, of course, routinely uses robots, many of which are built by car manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota. However, robotics technology is gaining traction outside of the factory, as well, a fact easily seen in the seemingly weekly reports of new ways that a robot is taking up a human task: nursing robots; dancing-/singing-dog robots; soccer-playing robots; and even day care robots. The commercial world very recently even saw the release of "a Hobbit-sized 'house sitter' robot that can recognize 10,000 words and 10 different faces," as well as the second annual DARPA Grand Challenge, sponsored by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, wherein five autonomous vehicles crossed the finish line in a competition over a Mojave Desert course of 176 kilometers. The popularity of these robotic trucks can be seen in the race's official Web site having drawn more than 12 million Web site hits in eight hours, as reported by the New York Times.

According to the Web site for the 2005 International Robot exhibition:

Robot technology contributed much to the growth of manufacturing industries. In recent years, however, it is extending the activity from the manufacturing site to our daily life. The robot technology is becoming more advanced and is continuing the challenge towards solution of several problems of mankind, such as environment, welfare and medical care. Small and lightweight humanoid robots are being developed successively. These robots are more intelligent and practical. Therefore, the expectation is high that the robot technology will be one of the key components of future technologies.

Blogs
You're reading one.

Similar to the growth of e-mail users in the 1990s, the global blogging population between 2004 and now exploded. Perhaps the most widespread outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself, blogs (short for Weblogs) are a phenomenon of information repositories on every topic about which there is to discuss. As much about technology as they are politics, blogs took a bleeding-edge turn from simply personal journaling to vast, often agenda-driven, forces.

Many corporations have had no other choice this year (and, to an extent, last year) but to join the blogging community. And simply look at "citizen journalism" that this year sprang from Hurricane Katrina and the controversy surrounding "Rathergate" to see that blogging has become incredibly prevelant this year, coming into its own; now blogs are, in fact, frequently the medium for breaking news and controversies where career journalists aren't the first on the scene of a news story and where citizens play an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news.

Blogs' inherent existence is perhaps one significant cause that print publications are rapidly deteriorating. The key to their continued growth is their rapid development of simplicity, as well as the need for more readers to balance out the 100 million+ bloggers in existence.

(During the holidays, you can continue reading our blog for typically-daily postings while -- no doubt -- in GREAT ANTICIPATION of our next Industrial Market Trends e-newsletter the first week in January.)

Hybrids
Hybrid car sales have risen consistently in the U.S., since the Honda Insight debuted in the American market in 1999, according to hybridcars.com. In that year, only a couple of hundred Insights were sold. U.S. hybrid sales have generally doubled every year:

* 9,350 in 2000
* 20,287 in 2001
* 35,000 in 2002
* 47,525 in 2003
* 88,000 in 2004
* 171,497 (through October 2005)

Worldwide, Toyota has sold more than 500,000 hybrids since 1997, according to news from Toyota (via the Auto Channel).

It seems all major mainstream automakers are taking heed, hurrying to prepare hybrids for market. The Associated Press recently acknowledged that, "Toyota Motor Corp. remains the runaway leader in the field," having sold 53,761 Prius hybrid cars in the U.S. last year, and the model's sales were up 133 percent in the first eight months of this year. The Prius is the world's best-selling hybrid while the Highlander Hybrid and RX 400h luxury hybrid SUV are the two best-selling hybrid SUVs. Toyota also saw a rise in demand for hybrid vehicles in the U.S. in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina as consumers have sought more mileage out of $3-per-gallon gasoline, New Energy Report said. The automaker has further enjoyed booming sales in the world's biggest car market thanks to the popularity of its hybrid models.

Volkswagen AG, Audi AG and Porsche AG recently said they were forming an alliance to develop hybrid engines; BMW AG recently joined General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG in a similar partnership; and Mazda presented new hybrid vehicles, including a compact van and a sports car, at the Tokyo Motor Show from Oct. 21 to Nov. 6.

Experts predict that hydrogen vehicles will boom once consumers learn more and costs don't outweigh benefits.

References

RFID Industry— A Market Update
Research & Markets, June 2005
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c26664

Global RFID Market Might Hit $26.9 Billion By 2015
IndustryWeek, Nov. 22, 2005
http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=11044&SectionID=2

The Hot List: Emerging Industries and Business Trends
by Staff, Entrepreneur magazine
Entrepreneur, December 2005
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,324525-7,00.html

New Microprinting Technique Improves Nanoscale Fabrication
PhysOrg, Aug. 19, 2005
http://www.physorg.com/news5904.html

Nanotube switch makes its debut
by Belle Dumé
PhysicsWeb, Oct. 18, 2005
http://physicsweb.org/articles/news/9/10/9/1

Nanotubes in the Clean Room
by Gary Stix
Scientific American, February 2005
http://www.sciam.com

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
http://standards.ieee.org

More than 120 Million Wi-Fi® Chipsets Shipped in 2005
Wi-Fi Alliance, Nov. 28, 2005
http://www.wi-fi.org/OpenSection/ReleaseDisplay.asp?TID=4&ItemID=211&StrYear=2005&strmonth=11

Merriam-Webster Adds "Wi-Fi®" to Newest Edition of Prestigious Collegiate® Dictionary
Wi-Fi Alliance, Oct. 27, 2005
http://www.wi-fi.org/OpenSection/PR_Meriam_Webster_Adds_Wi_Fi.asp

Study: Wi-Fi services to bring in the bucks
by Staff, CNET News.com
CNET, Sept. 20, 2005
http://news.com.com/Study+Wi-Fi+services+to+bring+in+the+bucks/2100-1039_3-5874906.html

North American Robotics Market Up 36% In First Half of 2005
Robotics Online, Aug. 9, 2005
http://www.roboticsonline.com/public/articles/articlesdetails.cfm?id=2077

In a Grueling Desert Race, a Winner, but Not a Driver
by John Markoff
New York Times, Oct. 9, 2005
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/national/09robot.html?ei=5088&en=93f28d194b2d899f&ex=1286510400&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted

2005 International Robot Exhibition
Organizers: Japan Robot Association (JARA) and the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.
http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/05ROBOT/ENG/information.html

The 11 Layers of Citizen Journalism
by Steve Outing
Poynter Online, June 13, 2005 (June 15 update)
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=83126

Blog-Gate
by Corey Pein
Columbia Journalism Review, January/February 2005
http://cjr.org/issues/2005/1/pein-blog.asp

"Killian Documents"
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathergate

Sales Numbers
hybridcars.com
http://www.hybridcars.com/sales-numbers.html

Toyota Billboard Marks 100 Million Gallons of Gas Saved by Driving Hybrids
Auto Channel, Nov. 28, 2005
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2005/11/28/149512.html

World's automakers embracing hybrid vehicles
Associated Press (via MSNBC), Sept. 14, 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9338664

Katrina creates a demand for Toyota's hybrids
New Energy Report, Sept. 22, 2005
http://www.newenergyreport.org/013668.html

GM to globally launch hybrid vehicle in future
Kyodo News (via Fuel Cell Today), Oct. 18, 2005
http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellToday/IndustryInformation/IndustryInformationExternal/NewsDisplayArticle/0,4527,6659,00.html

New hybrid studies from Mazda
Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) (via Fuel Cell Today), Oct. 18, 2005
http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellToday/IndustryInformation/IndustryInformationExternal/NewsDisplayArticle/0,4527,6658,00.html

Additional Resources

RFID Journal
http://www.rfidjournal.com/

As Blogs and Citizen Journalism Grow,
Where's the News?
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=91391

The language of blogging
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=15000

Wi-Fi Aalliance
http://www.wi-fi.org/OpenSection/index.asp

Nanotech Today vs. Nanotech Tomorrow
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2005/11/nanotech_today_.html

hybridcars.com
http://www.hybridcars.com/