A new year is upon us, and that means some new technology should be coming our way. Personally, I believe we’re at the early adoption phase of the extended reality (XR) revolution. It’s gaining popularity in homes (think video games), production studios, and sooner than later, we’ll also see XR in places like the classroom and office.

I reached out to other emerging tech and audiovisual professionals to get their 2022 emerging technology predictions and here’s what they had to say..

Steven King, Professor of Emerging Technologies, UNC Reese Innovation Lab

There are several signals around augmented reality (AR) emerging now that could have significant influence in how we view the world in 2022. Almost all smart phones sold in the U.S. are AR enabled (accelerometers, quality processer, and responsive cameras). 5G deployments are expanding across the United States. New AR authoring tools, like Niantic Game’s Light Ship, are making it easier for developers to create engaging AR content beyond games. Multiple major tech companies (Apple, Snap) are racing to mass produce new AR glasses/headsets. All of these independent actions lead me to believe AR  will be the number one emerging tech trend for 2022.

Emily Webster, Leader, Creative, ESI Design, an NBBJ studio

I am seeing multi-point contributions be the emerging trend for 2022. Multi-point contributions to me equals many, many people connecting to systems from many different end points. As experiences become more collaborative and interactive, this is the key to creating a fabric that represents all voices. How to manage this, curate contributions, and design for those many contributions in an interesting, inclusive, diverse and equitable way is the assignment to deliver on.

Scott Srolis, SVP of Sales and Marketing, Salamander Designs

One of the top emerging tech trends for 2022 will be the convergence of real estate with technology for homes and businesses. We’ve seen enormous growth in this area and expect a spike in 2022 and beyond. The separation and challenges of designers and space planners working with tech integrators used to dominate conversations. Now, most every home, office, stadium, hotel, and other spaces are defined by the technology available, plus ease of connecting and accessing people and content. All are leveraging tech as a differentiator, which will cause nonstop expansion and innovation. Along with this, will be the trend of new, emerging virtual reality-based and 3D tools for trades to show designs and progress in real time to clients wherever they are. AV and virtual technology will continue to transform every aspect of real estate, as people are more mobile and connected than ever before.

Adam Schmidt, Executive Vice President, Planar

In 2022, virtual production (VP) and XR technologies will transform the way companies share stories and bring content to life. 2021 provided us with an early glimpse, but new VP and XR applications are emerging every day and we expect to see demand increase quickly as solutions become more accessible and familiar to the proAV industry. Virtual studios are still a relatively new concept for the industry and the setups require multiple technologies for successful implementation. In addition to LED display technology, motion capture technology plays a major role. Thanks to the superior visual performance and ultra-precise camera tracking LED video walls and motion capture technology deliver, viewers are being transported to new worlds and introduced to incredibly lifelike content like never before.

Outside of the film industry, markets ranging from corporate to education and house of worship are regularly looking for ways to captivate audiences and share more engaging content. A financial institution’s global headquarters, for example, can foster deeper connections with customers, partners and employees, while facilitating business operations in fascinating and even more efficient ways. Universities are implementing state-of-the-art VP and XR technologies to deliver profound, experiential teaching and learning experiences for professors and students alike. In the case of houses of worship, they can extend their services to reach an even larger number of congregation members and produce meaningful and immersive experiences that create lasting impact. Exciting things are on the horizon for VP and XR. We’re looking forward to seeing what opportunities this presents for our customers and how we can do our part in bringing some of the most imaginative visions to life.

Stephanie Gutnik, Global Head of DOOH, Yahoo

We will see the increasing use of DOOH as an audience extension in 2022. The amplification of media channels used to engage with consumers has resulted in audience fragmentation. Advertisers aiming for mass audience reach are activating DOOH to facilitate broader market coverage of their messaging while being considerate of context (location, venue), audience indexing, and optimized delivery across channels thanks to programmatic enablement.

Colin Yellowley, Founder and Creative Director, Igloo

As we closed out 2021, the metaverse was the big topic on many people’s minds—and how it can fit into new ways of collaborating and working, building on the trends we’ve seen this year in remote and hybrid working.

It’s not yet around the corner, but emerging technology like smart spaces will be pivotal in how we can access, interact with, and engage with the metaverse and others within it, outside of using VR headsets. So smart spaces, where the physical and digital intersect and you can get groups of people experiencing immersive content together, will be key to helping make a metaverse accessible to everyone.

Yuki Yu, VP of Sales & Marketing, Absen

The number one emerging trend is that LED products are being accepted as a mainstream technology for a wide range of vertical markets and are being specified more and more in the commercial spaces, from large lobby displays to functional meeting and presentation spaces. Pixel pitch and pricing are on a downward trajectory and are beginning to move to well below the 1.0 mm pixel pitch.

Megan Zeller, Sr. Director of Business Development, Peerless-AV

dvLED panel displays have become more affordable over the last year as manufacturers learn to optimize their operations and technology becomes more widely available. Despite having a pricey reputation, integrators have become more creative with how they market and sell their products, so smaller-budget customers who may have felt dvLED was beyond their reach are now able to offer options that are well within their means. More businesses and business owners will welcome dvLED video walls to replace large-format displays applications. With this, I predict that we will see more diverse display applications within museums, schools, public transportation, restaurants, bank, and even in the home.

Michael Short, Director of Residential Marketing, Crestron Electronics

Without a doubt, health and wellness technology will be a popular trend in 2022. Smart homes are shaping the health of their inhabitants more than ever, as there are so many existing and emerging technologies that can support the way we live.  Think about the way we can utilize smart lighting to affect our Circadian rhythm so we sleep better or have more energy during the day, or how we can program automated shades so our home interiors are better synced with the sun. A home is not a smart home if it’s not healthy, and I believe wellness will start to be at the center of residential technology design in 2022.

What’s Your Emerging Trend Prediction for 2022?

Now that you’ve seen thoughts from others, we’d love to hear your prediction for 2022.  Tweet @LAVNCHCODE and @MeganADutta to share your thoughts.

Best wishes for a happy, healthy, and safe new year!