Emerging Trends

Overview

Learning outcomes

• Students will be able to define artificial intelligence and explain how machine learning and natural language processing relate to it, with everyday examples.
• Students will be able to distinguish virtual reality from augmented reality and give applications of each.
• Students will be able to describe robots, their types and uses, including drones and space rovers.
• Students will be able to explain big data and its five characteristics (volume, velocity, variety, veracity, value).
• Students will be able to explain the Internet of Things, the role of sensors, and how they support smart cities.
• Students will be able to classify cloud services as SaaS, PaaS or IaaS and state the benefits of cloud computing.
• Students will be able to differentiate grid computing from cloud computing.
• Students will be able to explain how a blockchain works and list its applications beyond digital currency.

Lesson plan

Notes

Key terms

Emerging trends

New, state-of-the-art technologies that are gaining popularity and changing how we live and work.

Artificial Intelligence

The ability of machines to imitate human intelligence such as learning, reasoning and decision-making.

Knowledge base

A store of facts, rules and assumptions that an AI system uses to make decisions.

Machine Learning

A subset of AI in which computers learn patterns from data to make predictions without being explicitly programmed.

Training data

The data used to teach an ML model to recognise patterns.

Natural Language Processing

The area of AI that enables computers to understand and generate human languages.

Virtual Reality

A computer-generated 3D environment that replaces the real world and can be explored using a headset.

Augmented Reality

Technology that overlays digital information on the user's view of the real world.

Robot

A programmable machine that performs tasks automatically, often using sensors.

Humanoid

A robot that resembles a human in appearance and behaviour.

Drone

An unmanned aircraft controlled remotely or flying autonomously using GPS, sensors and software.

Big data

Data sets so large, fast and varied that traditional tools cannot process them efficiently.

Veracity

The trustworthiness and quality of data.

Internet of Things

A network of everyday devices with embedded hardware and software that exchange data over the Internet.

Smart sensor

A sensor with built-in computing that processes data before passing it on.

Smart city

A city that uses IoT, sensors and ICT to manage resources and services efficiently.

Cloud computing

Delivery of computing resources and services over the Internet on a pay-per-use basis.

SaaS / PaaS / IaaS

Cloud models offering ready software, a development platform, or raw computing infrastructure respectively.

Grid computing

Combining resources of many distributed computers to work like one virtual supercomputer on a large task.

Blockchain

A decentralised, append-only shared ledger of linked blocks, with a copy held by every node.

MCQs

Tap an option to check it, or use Show answers above to reveal them all.

1. Which of the following is a subset of Artificial Intelligence in which computers learn from data?

   1. Machine Learning
   2. Grid computing
   3. Blockchain
   4. Cloud storage
   Answer

   (a) Machine Learning

   Machine Learning lets computers learn patterns from data without being explicitly programmed.

2. Voice typing in Hindi on a smartphone is an application of:

   1. Virtual Reality
   2. Grid computing
   3. Robotics
   4. Natural Language Processing
   Answer

   (d) Natural Language Processing

   Speech-to-text conversion is a classic NLP application.

3. An ML model is checked for accuracy using:

   1. a VR headset
   2. the knowledge base only
   3. testing data
   4. training data
   Answer

   (c) testing data

   The model is trained on training data and evaluated on separate testing data it has not seen.

4. A flight simulator used to train pilots is an example of:

   1. Big data
   2. Virtual Reality
   3. Blockchain
   4. Augmented Reality
   Answer

   (b) Virtual Reality

   It creates a fully computer-generated environment that replaces the real one.

5. Pointing your phone camera at Qutub Minar and seeing its history appear on screen is:

   1. Grid computing
   2. Virtual Reality
   3. Augmented Reality
   4. IaaS
   Answer

   (c) Augmented Reality

   Digital information is superimposed on the real view: location-based AR.

6. A robot that looks and behaves like a human is called a:

   1. rover
   2. humanoid
   3. drone
   4. manipulator
   Answer

   (b) humanoid

   Humanoids, such as Sophia, resemble humans.

7. ISRO's Pragyan rover on the Moon is an example of:

   1. NLP
   2. SaaS
   3. IoT
   4. robotics
   Answer

   (d) robotics

   A rover is a robot that moves and works automatically in places humans cannot easily reach.

8. Which characteristic of big data refers to the speed at which data is generated?

   1. Velocity
   2. Volume
   3. Veracity
   4. Variety
   Answer

   (a) Velocity

   Velocity is the rate of data generation and processing.

9. Which characteristic of big data refers to its trustworthiness?

   1. Value
   2. Veracity
   3. Volume
   4. Velocity
   Answer

   (b) Veracity

   Veracity concerns data quality: noise, bias, inconsistency.

10. Photos, videos, chats and tweets in a data set illustrate which V of big data?

    1. Variety
    2. Volume
    3. Value
    4. Velocity
    Answer

    (a) Variety

    Variety means data in many forms: structured, semi-structured and unstructured.

11. A smart meter that sends electricity readings to the power company over the Internet is an example of:

    1. Internet of Things
    2. Grid computing
    3. Virtual Reality
    4. Blockchain
    Answer

    (a) Internet of Things

    An everyday device with embedded hardware/software exchanging data over the Internet is IoT.

12. Which sensor in a smartphone detects whether the phone is held vertically or horizontally?

    1. Proximity sensor
    2. Fingerprint sensor
    3. Accelerometer
    4. Ambient light sensor
    Answer

    (c) Accelerometer

    The accelerometer detects orientation; the gyroscope adds rotation information.

13. Bins that report when they are full so that garbage trucks are sent only when needed are part of:

    1. a data grid
    2. Virtual Reality
    3. a smart city
    4. PaaS
    Answer

    (c) a smart city

    Smart cities use sensors and IoT to manage services like waste collection efficiently.

14. Using Google Docs to write a project report online is an example of:

    1. SaaS
    2. Grid computing
    3. PaaS
    4. IaaS
    Answer

    (a) SaaS

    A ready-to-use application delivered over the Internet is Software as a Service.

15. Renting a virtual machine with storage on which you install your own OS and software is:

    1. PaaS
    2. IaaS
    3. SaaS
    4. WoT
    Answer

    (b) IaaS

    Infrastructure as a Service provides virtual hardware; the user manages the OS and software.

16. A developer deploys a Python web app on a pre-configured platform without installing Python or a web server. This is:

    1. Big data
    2. IaaS
    3. PaaS
    4. SaaS
    Answer

    (c) PaaS

    Platform as a Service provides a ready development and deployment environment.

17. The Government of India's cloud initiative is named:

    1. MeghRaj
    2. Aadhaar
    3. Bhashini
    4. Digilocker
    Answer

    (a) MeghRaj

    GI Cloud is called MeghRaj.

18. In grid computing, each participating computer is called a:

    1. header
    2. server farm
    3. node
    4. block
    Answer

    (c) node

    Grid resources contributed by participating computers are called nodes.

19. Which statement about blockchain is correct?

    1. Any node can edit old blocks freely
    2. All data is kept on one central server
    3. It works only for movie streaming
    4. Every node keeps a copy of the ledger
    Answer

    (d) Every node keeps a copy of the ledger

    Blockchain is a decentralised, shared, append-only ledger with a copy at every node.

20. Which is the most popular application of blockchain technology?

    1. Weather forecasting
    2. Screen rotation
    3. Spell checking
    4. Digital currency
    Answer

    (d) Digital currency

    Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are the best-known blockchain application.

Assertion–Reason

1. Assertion (A): Virtual Reality cuts the user off from the real surroundings.

   Reason (R): A VR headset covers the eyes and shows a completely computer-generated 3D environment.

   Answer

   (A)

   Because the headset replaces the real view with a virtual one, the user loses sight of the surroundings; R explains A.

2. Assertion (A): Data stored in a blockchain is difficult to tamper with.

   Reason (R): A blockchain stores all its data on a single central server.

   Answer

   (C)

   A is true, but blockchain is decentralised with a copy at every node, so R is false.

3. Assertion (A): Grid computing is the same as an IaaS cloud service.

   Reason (R): In grid computing, many computing nodes pool their resources to solve a common problem.

   Answer

   (D)

   A is false: IaaS is rented from a provider, while a grid pools participants' resources. R is a correct description of grid computing.

4. Assertion (A): Big data cannot be processed efficiently with traditional DBMS tools.

   Reason (R): Big data is used by hospitals to track the spread of disease.

   Answer

   (B)

   Both are true, but the use of big data in hospitals does not explain why traditional tools cannot handle it (that is due to volume, velocity and variety).

5. Assertion (A): A smartphone screen rotates automatically when the phone is turned sideways.

   Reason (R): The accelerometer in the phone detects its orientation.

   Answer

   (A)

   The accelerometer senses the change in orientation, which triggers the screen rotation, so R explains A.

Short answer

1. 2 marks

   Define Artificial Intelligence. Give two examples from daily life.

   Answer

   Artificial Intelligence is the ability of a machine to imitate human intelligence such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving and decision-making.

   Examples: navigation apps suggesting the fastest route using live traffic; voice assistants like Google Assistant answering questions.

2. 2 marks

   How does a Machine Learning model learn? Mention training and testing data.

   Answer

   An ML model is first trained on training data to find patterns. It is then tested on separate testing data to check its accuracy. After repeated training reaches acceptable accuracy, the model is used to predict results for new, unknown data.

3. 2 marks

   Write any four applications of Natural Language Processing.

   Answer

   1. Predictive typing / auto-complete
   2. Spelling and grammar checking
   3. Speech-to-text and text-to-speech
   4. Machine translation between languages (also chatbots for customer service)
4. 2 marks

   Differentiate between Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

   Answer

   VR creates a completely computer-generated 3D environment that replaces the real world, usually viewed through a headset (e.g., flight simulator).

   AR overlays digital information on the real world seen through a camera or glasses (e.g., an app showing details of a monument).

5. 2 marks

   What is a drone? Give two uses of drones in India.

   Answer

   A drone is an unmanned aircraft that is remotely controlled or flies autonomously using software, GPS and onboard sensors.

   Uses: spraying pesticides and mapping fields in agriculture; delivering medicines to remote areas or helping in disaster relief and search operations.

6. 2 marks

   What is big data? Why can't it be handled by traditional tools?

   Answer

   Big data refers to extremely large and complex data sets generated at high speed from sources like social media, sensors and online transactions. Traditional tools cannot handle it because of its huge volume, high velocity and variety (much of it unstructured, like images and chats).

7. 2 marks

   Explain 'Veracity' and 'Value' as characteristics of big data.

   Answer

   • Veracity: the trustworthiness of data. Big data may be noisy, biased or inconsistent, so processing it can give misleading results.
   • Value: big data holds hidden patterns of high business value; it should be processed only if the potential value justifies the cost.
8. 2 marks

   What is the Internet of Things? Give two examples.

   Answer

   IoT is a network of everyday physical devices with embedded hardware and software that connect and exchange data with each other and with users over the Internet.

   Examples: a smart AC controlled from a phone; soil-moisture sensors that switch on irrigation pumps automatically.

9. 2 marks

   What is a smart sensor? How is it different from an ordinary sensor?

   Answer

   A smart sensor takes input from the physical environment and uses built-in computing resources to perform predefined functions when it detects a specific input, processing the data before passing it on. An ordinary sensor only detects and converts the change into a signal; it does not process the data itself.

10. 2 marks

    Give any two advantages of cloud computing.

    Answer

    1. Pay-per-use: no large investment in hardware and software; you pay only for what you use.
    2. Access from anywhere on any device with Internet; resources can be scaled up or down on demand.
11. 2 marks

    Name the two types of grid computing and state the purpose of each.

    Answer

    1. Data grid: manages large, distributed data that many users need to access.
    2. CPU (processor) grid: divides a large task into sub-tasks processed in parallel on different nodes, or moves processing between PCs as needed.
12. 2 marks

    Why is blockchain considered secure?

    Answer

    Every node keeps a full copy of the shared ledger, and new blocks are added only after the nodes verify the transaction. The ledger is append-only, so a single member cannot change data without it mismatching all other copies.

Long answer

1. 5 marks

   Explain the five characteristics of big data with an example for each.

   Answer

   Using the example of an online shopping site during a festival sale:

   1. Volume: huge size of data; crores of orders, clicks and reviews.
   2. Velocity: high speed of generation; thousands of orders per second must be processed instantly.
   3. Variety: data in many forms; order records (structured), product images, review text, delivery GPS logs.
   4. Veracity: trustworthiness; fake reviews, duplicate orders or incomplete addresses reduce data quality.
   5. Value: hidden useful patterns; finding which products sell together helps plan stock and offers.
2. 3 marks

   Explain SaaS, PaaS and IaaS with one example each. Which model gives the user the most control?

   Answer

   • IaaS: provides virtual infrastructure such as servers, storage and networking; the user installs and manages the OS and applications. Example: renting a virtual machine on Amazon EC2.
   • PaaS: provides a ready platform (OS, runtime, database, web server) to develop, test and deploy applications; the user manages only the application. Example: Google App Engine.
   • SaaS: provides ready-to-use software over the Internet; the user only uses it and manages their data. Example: Gmail or Google Docs.

   IaaS gives the user the most control, because the user manages everything above the hardware.

3. 3 marks

   Differentiate between cloud computing and grid computing (any three points).

   Answer

   1. Focus: cloud provides services (software, platform, infrastructure) to users; grid solves a single large computational problem.
   2. Ownership: cloud resources belong to a service provider; grid resources are contributed by many participants (nodes).
   3. Payment and management: cloud is rented on pay-per-use and centrally managed by the provider; grid is shared collaboratively and coordinated through middleware such as the Globus Toolkit.
4. 5 marks

   What is blockchain technology? Describe how a transaction is added to a blockchain and give three applications other than digital currency.

   Answer

   Blockchain is a decentralised, shared, append-only ledger made of linked blocks, in which every participating computer (node) keeps a full copy.

   Steps:

   1. A user requests a transaction.
   2. The request is broadcast to all nodes in the network.
   3. The nodes verify the transaction.
   4. Once verified, it is added as a new block to the existing chain in every copy.
   5. The transaction is complete; old blocks are never edited.

   Applications: land registration records (avoiding ownership disputes), sharing health records securely between hospitals, transparent electronic voting, tamper-proof academic certificates, supply-chain tracking.

5. 3 marks

   What is a smart city? Explain any three smart solutions a city can use to manage its resources.

   Answer

   A smart city uses computer and communication technology, IoT and sensors to manage and distribute resources efficiently and make the city sustainable and liveable.

   1. Smart traffic management: sensors and cameras measure traffic and adjust signal timings; apps show live bus locations.
   2. Smart water supply: pipeline sensors detect leaks and smart meters measure use, reducing water loss.
   3. Smart waste management: bins with fill-level sensors alert the municipality so trucks are sent only when needed.

   (Also accepted: smart street lights, smart bridges with crack-detecting sensors, earthquake-warning buildings, integrated command centres.)

6. 3 marks

   Explain how AI-based technologies can help persons with disabilities. Give at least three examples.

   Answer

   AI and NLP make technology accessible:

   1. Text-to-speech / screen readers read out on-screen text for visually impaired users.
   2. Speech-to-text / voice commands let people who cannot type or use their hands write messages and control devices.
   3. Image recognition apps describe surroundings, read currency notes or signboards aloud for the visually impaired.
   4. Automatic captions on videos help hearing-impaired users.
   5. Robotic prosthetics and smart wheelchairs use sensors and AI to assist movement.
7. 5 marks

   What is robotics? Describe the types of robots and give two applications each in medicine and space exploration.

   Answer

   Robotics is the interdisciplinary branch of technology (mechanical engineering, electronics and computer science) concerned with designing, building, operating and using robots, which are programmable machines that carry out tasks automatically using sensors.

   Types: wheeled robots, legged robots, robotic arms (manipulators), and humanoids (human-like robots such as Sophia).

   Medicine: surgical robots that assist precise, minimally invasive operations; robots that deliver medicines and disinfect hospital wards.

   Space: rovers such as ISRO's Pragyan (Chandrayaan-3) and NASA's Mars rovers study surfaces of other worlds; robotic arms on spacecraft handle equipment and satellites.

Case-based

Activities

No.  Service                                    Model  Reason
---  -----------------------------------------  -----  ------------------------------------------
1    Gmail                                      SaaS   ready-to-use application in browser
2    Amazon EC2 virtual machine                 IaaS   virtual hardware; user installs OS/software
3    Google App Engine                          PaaS   platform to deploy and run your own code
4    Canva                                      SaaS   finished design app, nothing to install
5    Azure Virtual Machines                     IaaS   rented virtual servers
6    Flask app on Heroku-like platform          PaaS   runtime and server pre-configured
7    Zoom                                       SaaS   ready application used by end users
8    Raw cloud storage and backup               IaaS   storage infrastructure only
9    Microsoft 365                              SaaS   office apps delivered over the Internet
10   Ready MySQL + Python runtime for devs      PaaS   development/deployment environment

Quick test: finished app -> SaaS; place to run your code -> PaaS;
virtual hardware you manage -> IaaS.

Model answer

Feature              Sensor/device              Detects               Automatic action                 Data to dashboard
-------------------  -------------------------  --------------------  -------------------------------  -----------------------
Smart lights         PIR motion + light sensor  people, daylight      lights on only if room occupied  hours of use, energy
                                                                      and daylight is low
Smart fans / AC      Temperature sensor         room temperature      fan speed / AC set to 26 C       temperature log
Attendance           RFID / face reader         student ID / face     marks attendance                 daily attendance list
Air quality          CO2 sensor                 stale air             exhaust fan on, alert teacher    CO2 levels
Safety               Smoke sensor               smoke                 alarm rings, SMS to office       incident alert
Water/energy saving  Smart meter / plug         power consumption     switch off devices after school  monthly energy report

Block diagram:
[Sensors] -> [Microcontroller e.g. ESP32] -> [School Wi-Fi] -> [Cloud dashboard] -> [Office PC / Phone app]

Precautions:
1. Change default passwords and keep device firmware updated.
2. Collect only needed data; restrict who can view student attendance/face data.

Model answer: IRCTC Tatkal booking (10:00 AM)

Volume   : lakhs of booking attempts, passenger details and payment records
           every day, plus years of past booking history.
Velocity : a huge number of requests arrive within the first few minutes;
           each must be confirmed or rejected in seconds.
Variety  : structured booking records, payment gateway logs, website/app
           click logs, customer complaint e-mails and tweets.
Veracity : duplicate or bot-generated bookings, failed payments, wrong
           passenger details must be filtered before analysis.
Value    : demand patterns by route and season.

Useful decision: add extra coaches or special trains on routes whose
waiting lists stay high, and strengthen bot detection at Tatkal time.

1.  NLP (predictive typing)
2.  Virtual Reality (immersive simulator)
3.  Augmented Reality
4.  Robotics (drone)
5.  AI / Machine Learning
6.  Internet of Things
7.  Cloud computing (SaaS storage)
8.  Grid computing
9.  Blockchain
10. NLP (chatbot understanding Hindi) - an AI application

Observations and mapping (model answer)

Step                                   Blockchain term
-------------------------------------  ------------------------------------
Each student holds the same ledger     distributed / shared ledger; nodes
New entry announced to all             transaction broadcast to all nodes
Everyone checks book availability      verification (authentication) by nodes
Entry written at the bottom only       append-only chain of blocks
One copy secretly altered              tampering attempt
Copies compared; altered copy differs  majority copies reject the change

Conclusion: because every node keeps a copy and changes need agreement,
one person cannot alter the record without being detected. This makes
blockchain tamper-resistant without a central authority.

Model answer

Problem                      Technology       Device / sensor            Data / alert goes to
---------------------------  ---------------  -------------------------  ------------------------------
Traffic jams near school     IoT + AI         cameras, vehicle counters  traffic control room adjusts
                                                                         signal timing
Water pipeline leakage       IoT              pressure / flow sensors    water department maintenance team
Overflowing garbage bins     IoT              fill-level sensors         municipal truck route planner
Unsafe streets at night      IoT + AI         smart lights, CCTV         police control room
Air pollution                IoT + big data   air-quality sensors        pollution board; public app alerts

All data flows to an integrated command and control centre, often hosted
on the cloud, where it is analysed (big data analytics) to plan services.

Common mistakes

• Treating AI, ML and NLP as three separate, unrelated fields. ML and NLP are subfields of AI.

• Mixing up VR and AR. VR replaces the real world with a virtual one; AR adds digital content on top of the real world.

• Defining big data only as 'a lot of data'. It is data that is too large, fast and varied for traditional tools, described by the five Vs.

• Listing only three Vs. The CBSE/NCERT list has five: Volume, Velocity, Variety, Veracity and Value.

• Calling Google Docs PaaS or Amazon EC2 SaaS. Ask: is the user getting a finished app (SaaS), a platform to deploy code (PaaS), or virtual hardware (IaaS)?

• Saying grid computing and cloud computing are the same. Cloud rents services from a provider; a grid pools many participants' resources to solve one large problem.

• Writing that blockchain stores data on one secure central server. It is decentralised; every node keeps a copy.

• Thinking IoT means only computers and phones on the Internet. IoT is about everyday objects (fans, meters, locks, sensors) connecting and exchanging data.