Top 10 Technological Advancements Of 2016.docVIP

PAGE  PAGE 4 Top 10 Technological Advancements Of 2016 　　Science and technology have always been the primary drivers of human progress. Looking back at 2016， China witnessed many significant events in global science and technology circles and launched numerous new products. 　　Augmented Reality 　　Augmented Reality， or AR， is an upgrade of Virtual Reality （VR）. With the help of computer technology， it applies virtual information to the real world， overlaying the real environment and virtual subjects in real time into the same picture or space. Such technology could clearly lead to breakthroughs in many sectors such as education and healthcare， despite the fact that it is mostly used today in video games. 　　Driverless Cars 　　In 2016， more Chinese people learned about driverless technology’s remarkable role in upgrading the efficiency of transportation. Internationally， many famous companies such as Google， Apple， Uber， and Tesla are increasing investment in automated cars. Domestically， several famous Chinese brands are also developing driverless vehicles. 　　Gene Sequencing 　　Gene sequencing technology can be used to lock individual problematic genes and prevent and treat relevant diseases. In 2016， the cost of gene sequencing dropped drastically in China thanks to the development of cloud computing and big data as well as the domestication of gene sequencing instruments. 　　Humanoid Robot 　　In February 2016， Boston Dynamics Inc.， an arm of Google， announced the release of the humanoid robot “Atlas” that can move freely， squat， run， and even climb hills and carry items. Such an intelligent robot has aroused great expectations in many Chinese people. 　　5G Communication 　　“5G” refers to the fifth-generation broadband wireless communication standard which could be 40 times faster than the 4G network， enabling a smartphone user to download a 3D movie in six minutes. In 2016， China， South Korea， Japan， and the European Union invested heavily in the develop