Every few years someone claims that the planet will be changed by way of a new technology. Sometimes they're right, along with other times they're wrong. This has lead many of us to believe that we have all placed too much faith in the technological revolution. Despite all our criticism, concerns and fears about anything new which involves a microchip, no-one can deny that the planet has changed for the higher or worse thanks to high tech gadgetry and there is no end in sight. Normally there is not an instant effect due to new inventions. It requires time for people, industry and governments to regulate. During those periods of adjustment the technology has time and energy to become refined and less costly. Workers who lose their jobs to new technologies end up having to look for other styles of employment. This can be a cycle that people have observed since the dawn of the industrial revolution, and now it is about to happen yet again in a huge way.When cell phones came along most people thought of them as a fresh toy for the wealthy. Today, most people have one and for most the phone within their pocket is the only one they have. The moment upside is that people can easily stay static in touch with this family, friends, employers or business contacts. More than just personal communication devices, smart phones now allow us to deal with many tasks that once required a PC to handle. The downside is that we can't hide from the planet unless we simply usually do not answer our calls. Increase that the point that we can easily become addicted to social media marketing, texting, games and all sorts of online activities.When the "mobile phone" revolution first started to explode a lot of investors and venture capitalists thought they would make a fortune buying various schemes to buy or sell phones or air time. Most of those investments fell flat and finished up being loss leaders. That is why it is very important see what's coming, know when to make a purchase; or invest and how. Otherwise could it be all too easy to become a victim of new technology. In the event that you dout this just visit any garage sale or junk shop where you will find all sorts of technology that was likely to go on for years and expand into more advanced versions. Good examples: Atari Game Systems, The Adam Computer, Game Boy, 8mm amd VHS Camcorders, Betamax and VHS Video Recorders/Players, Laser Disc Players, Cassette, 8 Track and Reel to Reel Tapes and Machines, Telex Machines, PDAs, Portable Televisions, LED Watches and Typewriters.When computers first appeared they were expensive toys designed for geeks who loved electronics. Even with companies like Apple designed machines that would be attractive to everyone, they often became obsolete by enough time they hit store shelves. People made and lost fortunes over these. That is because those early computers represented the type of advanced technology that kept advancing so rapidly that it left hardly any time for consumers to catch up. A lot of people jumped into the early versions of these machines for fear they might be left behind. I remember buying a bunch of different and unique computer systems with all their bells and whistles during the 1980s. Do not require lasted or really did all that I wanted them to accomplish. The upside for me was that I had to create my own programs for most of them to accomplish what I wanted them to do, so I learned a lot about how exactly these machines and their programs worked.I recall when the "INTERNET" was suddenly transitioned from a secretive way for the U.S. Military and Government to communicate and exchange data to a place where individuals were welcomed. A lot of people ignored or downplayed it at that time. However, before long all those popular electronic Bulletin Boards accessible by computer modems started to quickly relocate from telephone numbers to web addresses. Once the early Windows os's started to appear their emphasis was on PC applications. By enough time that Windows 95 premiered, even the venerable Bill Gates admitted he had vastly underestimated how popular and important the web would become. A lot of other investors and companies saw the potential and rushed to get in on the excitement by creating Internet Service Providers with e-mail. Since that time most of them have vanished or be a part of conglomerates. Understanding or seeing the potential of new technology is never enough. You have to know how to avoid the hype, survive the changes and possibly even make some cash along the way.In 2001 the Segway PT was unveiled. This two-wheeled people transport device was said to be the next big thing. Even Steve Jobs said that invention would be "as big a deal because the PC." However, unlike mobile phones, personal computers or the Internet, the Segway had a restricted market. Children, senior citizens and many disabled persons may use cell phones, computers and the web. Most them cannot or would not use the Segway. These personal transportation oddities fit the needs of various industries and businesses much like the robots and programmable machines that have bought out many manufacturing along with other jobs, but like those devices the Segway has many limitations when it comes to users, terrain and applications that have kept it from being the huge success that lots of once thought it could be. Wide appeal, application and usage will be the key components to any truly successful new technology and one is about to begin with a slow burn that may result in an explosive change in society and the planet of finance.Some time ago Google demonstrated their self-drive car to a public underwhelmed with what they saw. The issue was that it was sort of ugly with that weird rotating thing on top & most people had no faith that fully automated vehicles could ever take over the roadways of the world. What people didn't know then and many still have no clue about today is that lots of tech and car companies are betting the farm on the truth that self-drive vehicles will need over the road next ten to two decades. We curently have vehicles that may park themselves and now come with a wide selection of safety or anti-collision devices on board. Some vehicles will have the opportunity to make automated decisions about braking, parking along with other maneuvers. Could it be that hard to trust that there will be much more to come?This new technology won't appear overnight, but it will benefit everyone rather than just being attractive to a niche market. It will be refined and slowly introduced to people a little at the same time. When all the research and trials come to fruition, fully automated cars will begin to make a huge impact everywhere. Insurance companies that depend mostly on auto policies will begin to disappear. Auto body shops will undoubtedly be as rare as photo developing stands. The numbers of people who die or are severely injured in auto accidents will likely drop to an almost insignificant amount. Accidental injury lawyers will need to look for new clients. Police Officers will have to find new and creative methods to write tickets. The cost of gas will fall dramatically as a result of efficiency of self-driving vehicles: Most automated cars will probably be powered by hybrid or alternative energy sources.Prices on some consumer goods will drop as automated trucks hit the road and are able to pick up and deliver more frequently. Even with human monitors up to speed, those people will no longer have to wear themselves out by constantly handling the operation of such huge and cumbersome vehicles. That means they may be in a position to remain on board for longer periods of time. Lowering the price of delivery to market will allow many new products to be introduced that may have been unavailable because of those cost factors. The expense and complexity of managing huge traffic systems will be lessened and the experience of having to visit at a snail's pace to and from work through the rush hour will be all but eliminated. The money saved by the implementation of self-drive vehicles could be used to correct and replace the many roads, bridges and tunnels that have become dangerous to use or are simply just obsolete.Governments start to see the potential of automated vehicles. We know this because many are slowly, but surely, adapting or enacting laws to support this new technology. Self-drive vehicles are already legal for the purposes of research and development as far as the federal government is concerned. Several U.S. States have also made them legal to operate, with many others having already proposed pending legislation. Many state legislators have quietly been told to expect some fully automated vehicles by 2018-2020 at the most recent. What concerns government officials and the developers of the new technology will be the hackers. They can already utilize the existing technology in many new vehicles to take them over and bypass drivers. That is a real concern that must be dealt with from the legal and technological standpoint. That need for failsafe automated vehicles are one of the things slowing their development and appearance in new car dealer show rooms.Things are moving fast when it comes to fully automated vehicles, but that will not mean that small investors or venture capitalists should invest in them right now. The simple truth is that no-one really knows what twists and turns this new technology will take. Besides, I am certain that there will be all sorts of completely new after market and technological accommodation opportunities to create a lot of money for small investors once the time is right. Just imagine all of the new gadgets and systems which will appear as needed when this new technology becomes prevalent. Until then it really is would be a wise new car buyer or high tech investor that keeps her or his eyes on self-drive vehicles and the markets they'll shortly commence to create.