Top 10 digital solutions of 2021: from astrophysics to gamers
Technology is evolving so fast that creating this selection, we have repeatedly wondered: "Was this implemented only this year?!" We recall what breakthroughs happened in 2021, and we try to guess whether to wait for the cyber future in 2022.
What is the problem?
Sometimes we spend the available technological resources for other purposes that we're not supposed to. For example, having access to almost any information, we use the Internet to exchange memes, and through a new platform that could become a unified tool for concluding any contracts outside any jurisdiction, we buy funny pictures for hundreds (and sometimes hundreds of thousands) dollars. But there are also useful inventions for which we can thank the developers. We've collected the most convenient, funniest, and the ones that have attracted attention during the last year, in this selection.
What is the solution?
You can't lose your people in the mountains!
The Ministry of Internal Affairs presented an application for mountain tourism enthusiasts Rescue in the Mountains, thanks to which travelers can send an SOS signal with their geographical coordinates in case of danger. For now, the app can only be installed on Android devices. It will also be available to iOS users after a while. How the system works and what it does, read here.
Restaurants switched to Autopilot
This was achieved with the help of the Restorolla application, which is active in Europe, but only in 2021, it has started working in Ukraine. It automates several basic workflows and replaces several employees at once, taking orders, booking tables, generating reviews for you. Through the app, you can even call a waiter! What else restaurants have now on autopilot, see here.
We've all been digitized and virtualized
Electronic documents in Diia are with us since last year, but only in 2021, they were equated to official ones! However, we are so used to them that it seems that it was much earlier. A year ago, covid passports were cautiously discussed, fearing that their introduction could be accompanied by discrimination and mass protests, but this year it is already on the smartphone of any vaccinated Ukrainian who uses Diia. Moreover, now you can even change your residence permit in the application.
We learned to digitize memes and sell through smart contracts
The real trend in 2021 has become NFT auctions, where you can sell a random photo or 16-pixel picture for a few thousand dollars. The Ukrainian meme "Chew the Asshole," an excerpt from a Toronto Television episode, was sold at an auction held on the OpenSea platform for $2,500. Now the hype has subsided, but how it was in early 2021, and how NFT auctions will be useful in the "grown-up" world, you can read in one of our articles. More details on the fact that any object can soon be digitized here.
The radio has been invented again!
Well, what is not a solution? First, millennials invented "solid shower gel," forgetting the word "soap," and then again came up with the radio! The trend to create live podcasts in the Clubhouse app, which stopped as suddenly as it erupted, has become a real lifesaver and entertainment during quarantine. What people did there and why it fascinated everyone so much, read here.
Registry from government agencies transferred to smartphones and turned it into a trend
More precisely, they have learned to connect people, business, and administrative management online. For example, LvivSityHelper was launched, which informs residents about public transport. We called it civic tech and made it a trend (and how else). Here's how it works, and what's even more interesting, how to create such a product. Here is an example of such a product; a service where Ukrainians submit ideas as project applications related to various public fields: education, culture, health care, road infrastructure, landscaping, ecology, and social protection.
Online services to combat domestic violence made even more accessible
This year, the It Seems and Tell Me platforms have joined forces to combat domestic violence. The authors of the website gathered about 30 therapists who specialize in domestic violence. You can contact them for free. Thirty qualified therapists will provide three free consultations to those who need them. You can sign up for a free online consultation here, tell your story anonymously here. As part of the campaign, the Institute for Cognitive Modeling has also created the Stop Abuse Ukraine Viber channel, where you can read advice on combating domestic tyranny, information on new laws that inspire stories of those who broke out of violence, and more.
Astrophysics admirer's dreams realized
Have you ever wanted to know which asteroid would fly close to Earth? Now it's possible! The National Space Agency has created the world's first website where you can see in real-time how different comets and asteroids move. Already today on the NASA website you can see the known orbits of all objects near the Earth. See how it works here.
Ukrainians created a product for gamers and… became the best!
In 2021, our domestic manufacturer of gaming keyboards and chairs Hator reached first place in terms of sales in Ukraine and became more popular than all its competitors in the Ukrainian market.
Hator produces products that take into account modern technology and have an original design. The brand's range includes gaming chairs, headsets, mice, keyboards, gaming surfaces, switches, wrist rests, cake caps… The brand was created in Ukraine; the products have Ukrainian instructions, and the company's website has a Ukrainian version and therefore has a positive effect on the choice of Ukrainian gamers. Available products for video games and e-sports contribute to the development and approval of the e-sports industry in Ukraine and simply provide comfort while pursuing a favorite hobby. How Hator stands out among its competitors, see here.
