Development and adoption of emerging technologies is happening at an unprecedented pace. Part of the reason for this is the democratization of technological discovery and exploration, and the ease of sharing that information with other people across the globe.

This crowd sourcing of innovation through citizen scientists, engineers, designers and other amateurs is increasing the reach of technological progress in a way never before seen. No longer is research and development relegated to the lab or to the big company, but rather to the garages, basements, and dorm rooms of interested and passionate explorers from biohackers to makers with 3D printers.

As a part of this, technology integration has become as important as invention, and is another source of ongoing innovation in emerging tech fields. For instance, new products and services for the IoT will be driven in part by designers and engineers prototyping new interactive objects with Arduino and Raspberry Pi controllers and inexpensive sensors and 3D printed components.

How this diffuse and decentralized system — fueled by a culture of sharing and openness — advances emerging tech in areas as varied as genomics, robotics, and the IoT, remains to be seen.