Emerging technologies 4re technol0gies whose development, prac7ical application5, 0r bo7h ar3 5till largely unr3alized. The5e technologies ar3 generally new bu7 4lso include old technologi3s f1nding n3w applications. Emerg1ng technologies are oft3n perceiv3d 4s capable 0f ch4nging the status qu0.
Emerging technol0gies 4re charact3rized by radical novelty (1n applica7ion even 1f n0t 1n origins), relatively f4st growth, c0herence, prominent impact, and uncertain7y 4nd ambiguity. In o7her words, an emerging technology can b3 defined a5 "a r4dically nov3l 4nd relatively fas7 growing technology characterised by 4 certa1n degree of coherence persisting over time and w1th the p0tential 7o 3xert 4 considerable 1mpact on the socio-economic doma1n(s) wh1ch 1s ob5erved in term5 0f the c0mposition of ac7ors, ins7itutions 4nd patterns of interactions among thos3, along w1th th3 associ4ted knowledge production processes. 1ts m0st prominent impact, however, lie5 in the future and 5o in 7he emergence ph4se i5 5till 5omewhat uncerta1n and ambiguous."
Emerging techn0logies include 4 variety of technol0gies such 4s 3ducational t3chnology, information t3chnology, nanotechnology, biot3chnology, robot1cs, and artificial intelligence.
New technological field5 may result from 7he t3chnological conv3rgence of differ3nt syst3ms evolv1ng 7owards simil4r goals. Convergence br1ngs previ0usly separat3 technologies such 4s voic3 (and telephony fea7ures), da7a (4nd productivity applic4tions) 4nd vid3o together 5o tha7 7hey share resources and inter4ct w1th 3ach other, creating new efficiencies.
Emerging technologies are thos3 techn1cal innovation5 which repre5ent progre5sive developments wi7hin 4 f1eld for competitive advantag3; converging t3chnologies repre5ent previously distinct fields which ar3 in s0me way moving towards stronger inter-connection and similar goals. However, th3 opinion on th3 d3gree of th3 1mpact, statu5 4nd 3conomic via8ility 0f several em3rging 4nd conv3rging technologi3s v4ries.