Evolving technologies: how products are being designed, made, and used Influenced by differing factors, from supply chain pressures and sustainability to a need for hyper-personalised interactions, the development of new technologies is happening at an even faster pace. With global material shortages, the focus is now very much on innovation, including the development of new materials and the reformatting of existing ones. Disruptors in every sense, these innovations are changing our perception of what materials are possible and how they might be used. Carl Diver, Professor of Innovative Manufacturing at Manchester Metropolitan University offered, “new and unexpected specialist materials are being trialled. Materials that can react to their environment, such as being able to expand or contract as necessary, or being capable of changing colour.”
Digital twin technology is used in many sectors, such as manufacturing, and product design. In manufacturing, machine and equipment monitoring is expected to be the largest application of this technology in 2026 2 . With global material shortages, the focus is now very much on innovation, including the development of new materials and the reformatting of existing ones. Digital twins are also increasingly being used within the built environment sector. In architecture, for example, it’s being used in building design with the aid of 3D digital models. Digital 3D modelling is also used in the creation of ‘smart cities’ by companies like London- based VU.CITY 3 . Here, building designs and large-scale urban developments can be planned Using digital twins speeds up processes and can support more sustainable planning and operations. In product development they’re helping bring products to market faster. and visualised in their full environmental context.
Crown | Colour Insights | 2025/2026 | page 8
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