Tech trends 2023 Overview

From the latest in electric aircraft to the satellites that connect to phones, next year’s emerging tech.An illustration of the kind of city service imagined by Vertical Aerospace Imagine an aircraft that can take off and land like a helicopter, but without the noise, expense and emissions. That’s the vision of firms developing so-called eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle) aircraft.Designed for relatively short journeys and a handful of passengers, dozens of firms around the world are betting there is a market for them. They argue that the eVTOL aircraft can reduce the cost of flying, as their electric motors are cheaper to run and maintain than helicopter engines.

Fusion abundance

Success at NIF will spur dozens of private companies hoping to one day build a commercial fusion reactor.A private project in the UK is hoping for a big year in 2023. First Light Fusion, based outside Oxford, has a novel way of creating fusion conditions.It fires a small aluminum disc at a speed of up to 20 km/s at a specially designed target containing the fuel needed for fusion.Upon impact, the target collapses, creating huge blast waves that can trigger a fusion reaction.Earlier this year, in a big moment for the company, First Light confirmed it had achieved a merger using this method.

The future of flying?

An illustration of the type of city service envisioned by Vertical AerospaceImagine an airplane that can take off and land like a helicopter, but without the noise, cost and emissions.This is the vision of companies developing so-called eVTOL aircraft (Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing Vehicle).Designed for relatively short trips and a handful of passengers, dozens of companies around the world are betting there’s a market for them.They argue that the eVTOL aircraft can reduce flight costs because their electric engines are cheaper to run and maintain than helicopter engines.