Role of Technology in the Healthcare Industry

Necessity is the mother of invention

Technology has never been futile; every now and then it stuns us with some jaw dropping inventions. Like any other industry, it has greatly benefited the health care sector too; easing the work of medical practitioners and providing relief to the patients. From illness diagnosis to best curative treatment, everything is possible within a short time. In many cases patients recuperate quickly and advanced medical procedures have made pain less severe for them. Along with this, healthcare apps and remote consultation has made it convenient for patients to discuss their issues online, without travel hassles. Now let's delve deeper and find more about how technology has uplifted the healthcare industry.

No more bulky files!

1.      Digitized Medical Records and Big data

Nowadays, details of the patients are summed up and saved in the form of electronic medical records. This digitized record includes the patient’s X rays, CT scans, diagnoses, prescriptions, lab reports and even information regarding their stay at the hospital. Medical professionals and lab assistants can exchange information electronically which lessens the chances of errors and negligence. In short, digital records are time saving, more accurate and lead to better coordination within the healthcare departments. Moreover, with the new healthcare technology, big data collection has become cost effective and efficient. In addition, cloud storage has made it easier to securely store this data. Medical professionals can use this information for R&D, predictions of future diseases and later come up with advanced medical treatments or preventative measures to curb their spread.

Install apps now!

2.      Healthcare Apps

Today every person carries a smartphone and due to technological advancements, a number of healthcare apps have been introduced. Since these apps provide customized solutions to the users, people can keep themselves fit by keeping a track of their daily consumption and activity levels. Patients can also get their test results, receive medical reminders or any other information related to their health or appointments. Such apps can also help specialists to deal with the side effects of certain medicines, provide solutions to patients and make diagnosis easier.

Anywhere around the world

3.      Telemedicine

Telemedicine has been a life saver. With this technology, patients can reach out and consult doctors and experts around the globe even if they are in a critical condition. Patients who are bedridden or confined to their homes can use telemedicine devices to connect remotely with the medical professionals either through video calls or the apps. It allows you to transmit bio signals, reports, images or share any other medical information with the doctor for consultation, without the need for patient-doctor presence at the same time. 

Tech is life saving

4.      Better Patient Care

Medical practitioners have been using advanced tools and technologies in order to provide better health service to their patients. As mentioned earlier, EHRs can be used to retrieve a patient’s past medical records in order to make rational decisions. Similarly, Virtual Reality apps, tools and gadgets have been very useful for patients dealing with depression, dementia, stress and other mental health related issues. Augmented Reality has eased the task for surgeons while performing a surgery. For example, it minimizes the chances of errors when they are locating a tumor during a surgery. Even AR vein detection scanners show a clear image of the vein on the screen. Apart from this, with the help of 3D technology, prosthetics and other devices have been introduced for patients who are suffering from certain impairments and disabilities.

Technology has been benign to the healthcare industry in many ways. It has not just improved the overall quality of services and experience of patients but has also allowed medical experts to explore new avenues and enhance their skills with time.

 

Best drone delivery companies

The sky’s the limit!

Comfort and convenience have become indispensable in today's time where people are too busy to go and buy everyday things such as groceries, eatables, medicines, or apparels. Transportation vehicles such as containers, airplanes, trains, or ships are only suitable for bulk cargo and this process is quite slow. For speedy delivery and to fulfill the customers demand on time, many companies have started delivering products through new technologies such as drones. Drones have become popular since the beginning of pandemic when there was a dire need to supply vaccines without human contact to far-flung and geographically inaccessible areas. A report has revealed that the drone market will experience a growth rate of $47.4 billion till the year 2029. These drones are battery operated pilotless vehicles which can deliver parcels at a specific location. 

Enterprises are now delivering packages through these flying bots with the help of their operating teams that control its movement through a base station. Interestingly, the delivery time is usually half an hour or less (almost the same as bikes which come all the way from traffic congested roads). Let’s discuss some of the leading companies that have been successful in delivering items through drone technology.

1. Zipline

Zipline is an American company that introduced its electric drones in 2014 for the delivery of medical products such as vaccines, frozen plasma, medicines, platelets, prescription as well as blood, wherever required. Apart from medical supplies, it has made the delivery of restaurant meals and grocery items way easier. Every Zipline flight is monitored and controlled by the remote pilots who work at the distribution centers. The company's drone can carry 7 pounds of goods at a speed of up to 70 miles per hour. One interesting feature of Zipline’s drones is that they are eco-friendly i.e. cause 97% lesser emission than land vehicles. The company has successfully provided services within 80 km of reach, even in highland areas or where the weather is extreme. 

2. Wing

Wing is another company owned by Alphabet Inc. which is providing autonomous drone delivery services in three continents. You can get food, medicines, household items goods and small packages delivered right at your doorsteps by simply placing an order through their app called OpenSky. Wing guarantees safe, efficient and faster delivery and has carried out 100,000 tests before being fully operational. The company's drone picks the order from the relevant location and flies up to 45 meters above the land, dropping the parcel at the customer's destination within a few minutes. These air vehicles have a weight limit of 1.2 kg and can withstand rain and strong wind.

3. Flytrex

Flytrex delivers high sky and contactless service almost instantaneously (within 5 minutes) by dropping the package in your backyard. The company has made its name in the industry by delivering more than 85000 products. Each delivery has a direct operating cost of around $13.50. Eatables, grocery and retail items including popcorn, cookies, burgers, sandwiches, toothpaste, and coffee were delivered in Texas and many parts of North Carolina, especially during the pandemic. Flytrex has teamed up with major companies such as Walmart, Skyway Technologies and Papa Johns and its drone can carry a maximum weight of 3.3 kgs.

Drones have stirred up competition among world’s largest e-commerce companies and will be the future of logistics. This new method will not just maximize productivity and provide ease to customers, but will also reduce pollution.

 

Mental Health Awareness in Tech Industry

 

With the progress made in technology, the demand for tech workers has also surged in the corporate world. However, this has also led to some pressing issues which must be addressed by the companies that hire these professionals. Mental health is a subject often neglected and least discussed, but it directly or indirectly affects the productivity and performance of the employees. Many organizations who overburden their employees fail to understand that their physical and mental wellbeing is the most important aspect that leads to the success of a company. A survey conducted on mental health has revealed that 90% of the tech employees faced mental health issues. Employees belonging to the tech field feel pressurized and burnout which causes a major hindrance at work. This issue was more exacerbated by the lock down when people were quarantined at homes. There was a widespread disruption in work life balance especially due to the post pandemic malaise.

The problem

As industries have become more competitive, high profile companies such as Google, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft are attracting the best talent who can bring their compelling and creative ideas and give life to them. There is no doubt that these employees work for long hours and are given fringe benefits or perks i.e. company’s car, fuel allowance and on-site gyms etc. However, the management’s demand and expectations are far more knackering. They can hardly take a break or advantage of the flexible working hours because of the position they are entitled to. All this results in sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, burnout, bipolar disorder etc.

How to deal with the issue?

Following steps should be taken by the companies in order to help their stressed-out employees so that they can perform better in their grueling tasks.

1.      Encourage and normalize discussion on mental health: Awareness along with empathy is important in a stringent environment like tech. Organizations should make sure that their employees feel comfortable, safe and heard at work. They should be given an opportunity to openly talk about their mental concerns with the direct management.

2.      Offer them wellness benefits: Mental health initiatives must be taken i.e. offer them wellness benefits in the form of free or low-cost therapy. Also make sure they use their vacation time and do not stress over work during that period. In order to support mental health, Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) can be created where like-minded individuals with commonalities can discuss personal issues and challenges and help each other to deal with them. 

3.      Training of managers, employees and leaders: It is important to train your managers, employees and team leaders on how to deal with a colleague suffering from mental health illness and recognize signs of mental instability before it escalates and leads to burnout. 

The tech industry is very much complex in nature because of strict deadlines and abnormal working hours. In the end, all the pressure falls on the workers. If proper measures are taken by the companies to deal with mental health issues, employee absenteeism can be reduced, higher retention rates and better outcomes can be achieved.

 

Key skills that Data Professionals must have

Every organization needs professionals with technical and analytical skills to make pragmatic business decisions. There are a number of responsibilities that a data analyst has to fulfill while working on various projects. They communicate and work with the technology teams or the management to set and achieve certain objectives. Not just this, they gather data from both primary and secondary sources and reorganize it to make it more understandable. Data experts also interpret data with the help of statistical tools, identify trends, make predictions, prepare documentations and reports for the stakeholders. However, in this blog we will be discussing the key skills and expertise that are required for the process of data analysis.

When you have large data sets to analyze, leadership skills are equally important to technical skills because they help you in problem solving and decision making. Now let’s explore other skills that are needed for data analysis:

1.      Data cleaning and preparation skills

Data cleaning is a lengthy process where you have to prepare the data for analysis. Data Analysts should be able to retrieve data from multiple sources. They also have to filter out all the information, fill the missing values and remove errors for accuracy. Only then you can perform further analysis.

2.      Data analysis, exploration and visual skills

As a data analyst you should have a clear understanding of the data. You have to be proficient enough to analyze large data sets in order to identify trends, patterns, characteristics as well as to check assumptions. For this, analysts must be well acquainted with various data visualization tools or statistical techniques and should be able to use them in an effective way. Visual communication skills in the form of charts, graphs, maps and plots are required to present findings to the management because they might not be able to comprehend the complexities of raw data.

3.      Statistical, critical thinking and communication skills

A strong grip over probability and statistics is important to perform a valid analysis and to minimize the chances of logical errors. Data analysts must have a broad vision to look beyond the data and provide clear cut implications and insights. Apart from that, communication in written (diagrams or figures etc.), non-verb (gestures and body language), or verbal form (speaking or listening) is needed to interact with the clients or the executives to propose recommendations or findings. 

4.      Proficiency at using spreadsheet software 

Data analysts should have an in-depth knowledge of spreadsheet software, its functions and formulas. It allows you to convert raw data into readable and understandable form such as graphs or tables. Many businesses depend on it for quick analytics and to manage their databases.

There are many other skills that data analysts should learn and possess in order to present reliable information to the company so that it can act accordingly and make decisions.

 

Steps that must be followed for business growth and innovation

Businesses cannot achieve success in a day or two. Proper planning, hard work, rationality, and execution is needed in order to climb up the ladder of success. Growth and innovation are not just about nipping your competitors and adopting an aggressive approach. You have to think beyond that and be willing to adapt to changes. Idea generation, employee involvement and engagement as well as listening to your customers are equally important in this regard. With openness and creativity, you can survive and flourish in the world of competition. Let’s look into the different tips and tricks that can prevent your business from downfall and help it to grow exponentially.

1. Promote an innovative business culture

Every organization must give their employees the opportunity to engage in business discussion, give input and present their ideas. Treating them as your asset will give rise to a healthy business culture which will make them feel welcomed, trusted and needed. Leadership values also play a crucial role here to encourage and support employees to give their opinion on business decisions.

2. Identification of challenges and gathering ideas

Initially you have to identify a challenge for the business and then gather ideas to deal with it. Some challenges that you might face can be; unfulfilled customer needs, introducing a new product or a technology, shortage in production, price and promotion issues, managing budget etc. Organizations can collect ideas by having input from your team or employees. You can hang a board in a café and mention a monthly or weekly challenge for employees and ask them how they should tackle the problem. Other than that, a small session can be conducted or an idea box can be used so that they can brainstorm and express their unique ideas to solve the issue. Externally, you can focus on customer feedback or set up an advisory board. Once this is done, you can then select the most promising and compelling ideas through voting. Further exploration can be done by working on the feasibility and predicting the profitability of the proposed idea through visual charts.

3. Seek Validation and then implement and execute

If a company works on the idea of introducing a new digital service, you can have a discussion with your team to seek validation and decide who your target customers will be. A detailed discussion on value proposition, market potential, and design etc. should be done before the proper implementation of the plan. Once the idea is finalized, you can introduce a sample or a prototype for initial testing and make agile improvements by taking feedback from all the stakeholders. Your innovation will be useless if it does not satisfy your customer needs. You might not achieve the desired results immediately but you must reward the individuals for their creativity and if they are able to produce fruitful results.

With farsightedness, teamwork and agility, businesses can innovate and grow. However, focusing on competitors and their next move is also important.

 

Top 5 gadgets that will change the future

Technology has casted an everlasting shadow over us and we do not see a stop on the road towards innovations. On a yearly basis, tech companies unveil their new gadgets and amazing inventions in an event in Las Vegas with the aim of revolutionizing our future. Let’s see the mind-blowing technologies that are coming or have been introduced by these mastermind companies in this Consumer Electronic Show (CES).

1. The Flying Car 

You must have seen a flying car in Harry Potter's movie in which Harry and Ron fly all the way to Hogwarts. This dream of kids has now turned into reality. ASKA, a Californian company introduced its first 5-seater flying car called the AS5 or the Airborne. The car has an electric vertical takeoff and landing feature. You can drive it on roads and also take a flight through the sky. You will be able to charge it just like other electric vehicles. Also, its large wings are designed to save fuel and to assist in gliding. This unique car will soon be certified and it is expected to come on the market by 2026. 

2. The New Citizen CZ Smart watch

CZ Smartwatch is a new wearable device introduced by the innovative and high-performance watchmaking company Citizen after collaborating with NASA. This watch provides the wearer with real time feedback regarding their health and wellbeing. The YouQ software monitors a person's daily sleep and fatigue patterns, activity, heart rate and alerts them about their health or activeness through summarized data and visual charts. It’s a great tool for you to adopt better habits and serves as a reminder that physical health comes first.

3. Folding Tablets

The latest tablet or the smart mobile device of Samsung made its first public appearance in the CES this year. The device called Flex Hybrid OLED has both the foldable and sliding feature. You can unslide the tablet if you want a large screen to comfortably watch a movie or play a game and also unfold it to have a tablet-like experience. It has a 10.5 inches screen which can expand to 12.4 inches. However, Samsung has just revealed its prototype and it will take a few years to reach the masses.

4. 3D Experience without the need for glasses

You can now have an immersive 3D experience on Vivobook laptop which has the ASUS spatial vision technology. The eye tracking systems, lenticular lenses and OLED shows realistic 3D images to the users. For each eye, the laptop displays separate images. It adjusts itself to the person's head and eye position, eliminating the need for special 3D glasses. Certainly, this gadget goes beyond the extraordinary to deliver entertaining and visually appealing experiences to the customer.

5. The Premiere 8K projector

Recently, Samsung revealed its new 8K resolution projector called The Premiere. The projector is a small box shaped gadget which can be kept on a table near the wall. For the purpose of lighting and sound effects, the projector has built in speakers along with Dolby Atmos. Diagonally, it can produce an image of 150 inches using high quality lenses and video processing technology. It also offers the Smart TV features. However, with so many features and exceptional quality, it is anticipated that the price will be high too.

These compelling gadgets are all set to provide us an out of the world experience. Tech enthusiasts are already eager to get hands on to these devices which offer them seamless features, entertainment and ease of use. Certainly, the future will surprise us with more such jaw dropping technologies.

 

The Role of Data Analysts

Organizations seek help from data analysts for multiple reasons. When it comes to making major business decisions, their role is like that of a key for lock; you cannot take the next step or open the door of success without relying on them. Whether you have to identify a problem, make a new investment, come up with a solution, introduce or develop a new product, or even select the right target audience, data and data analysts are required to achieve your purpose. Data Analysts provide you with numerical information and values which you need for important business functions. In this article, we will discuss the role of data analysts and touch upon the areas in which you can specialize. So, let’s begin!

What do Data Analysts do?

A Data Analyst does not only gather information but also cleans, analyzes and interprets large data sets using various statistical techniques and later communicates their data driven insights with the organization's stakeholders such as managers or executives. It requires both their empirical and theoretical knowledge to predict the future and make sound decisions on that basis. Data analysts closely study the current trends using the computer systems. If you want to pursue a career in this field, you can specialize in the below mentioned areas:

1.      Descriptive Analytics: Here the analysts identify trends by looking at the current and historical data. They find out what changes have occurred in a business by analyzing the yearly website traffic and engagement, revenues per month and sales etc. They examine the visuals such as bar charts, tables, graphs or pie charts and they are more concerned with "What has happened or is happening."

2.      Diagnostic Analytics: In diagnostic analytics, you dug deeper into the data to find the reason or identify the cause behind specific results. Here your focus is on the correlation between the variables and this process can be performed using statistical software. Data analysts provide answers to the questions i.e. "What led to this or why did it happen?"

3.      Predictive Analytics: Predictive analysis depends on both descriptive and diagnostic analytics. These data analysts predict the probability of a certain result by using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Statistics and various other techniques. It helps in demand forecasting, identifying frauds and foretelling consumer behavior. Here the question that comes in is "What will happen?" So, by forecasting potential scenarios companies can take effective measures.

4.      Prescriptive Analytics: Here, advanced tools, technologies and complex algorithms are used in order to determine the best course of action. In easy words, prescriptive analysts have to think about what should happen in future and how they can make that happen. 

All in all, data analysts have to extract and analyze data and simultaneously work with the management to make the best business decision. 

The Computer Vision Technology

Computer vision is the most pervasive and attention-grabbing technology which has influenced our lives in many ways, however we fail to recognize its benefits. This technology works like a jigsaw puzzle in which you have to arrange and assemble different pieces in order to form a real image. It is estimated that by 2030, the market for computer vision will reach $41.11billion which is very promising. So, let's delve deeper and find more about it.

What is Computer Vision?

Computer vision is another branch of artificial intelligence which allows computers to identify, process and understand the visual world just like the way humans do. There are neural networks within computer vision. Computers are trained to classify the objects and respond to them with the help of deep learning models or the digital images. The images are interpreted in a pixel by pixel manner through the computers. The idea behind computer vision is to imitate the human vision system. On a daily basis, massive amounts of visual data are generated that has led to the growth of computer vision and has also enhanced its performance. Studies have shown that around three billion images are shared through social media every single day. You need a tremendous amount of information for the process of computer vision. Data analysis has to be performed again and again so that the system can distinguish between object and recognize the visuals. Deep learning as well as machine learning play a major role in achieving this purpose. If the dataset is large, these techniques can easily differentiate pictures that are similar.

The preprogrammed algorithms allow systems to learn and comprehend things automatically. This greatly reduces human intervention in tasks, processes and activities such as image recognition. Computer is not just given a puzzle or parts of an image rather it is fed with a plethora of images on the basis of which it is trained to identify certain objects. To put it in easy words we have an example of a dog for you. In order for a computer to identify a dog, software programmers upload and feed it with millions of pictures of the animal through which it automatically recognizes its different physical features such as paws, pointy teeth, dark eyes, claws and long wagging tail. That’s how it instantly tells you which animal it is.

It’s a huge challenge to develop a machine that fulfills the criteria of human vision. A lot of work is needed to fully understand how the human eye works and how the brain processes everything that the eyes are exposed to. Till now, the progress made in computer vision is phenomenal but more accuracy in results can be achieved in future.

 

The New Hypersonic Spacecraft

             

Have you imagined traveling far beyond the edge of space? If not then get ready for this new experience. Hypersonic technology has caused maddening influence over the aerospace firms and engineers who are planning to put its capabilities in different air vehicles such as space planes, airplanes and even missiles. Thanks to Venus Aerospace, an ambitious aeronautics company that recently became a part of the aerospace crowd and won the hearts of millions through the release of their new spear shaped space plane called the Mach 9 in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company managed to raise $33 million for the designing and construction of Stargazer, out of which $ 1 million was provided by the government. 

Its Features

The plane has a sleek design and the company has asserted that it will be eco-friendly. Dimension wise, it is 30.5 m wide and 40 m in length. What has caught more attention is the vehicle's incredible speed and high altitude. It is unbelievable, but the plane travels 9 times faster when compared to the speed of sound with an altitude of 51 kilometers. It can carry 12 passengers at a time. Though Stargazer is called the space plane, it is not very efficient to venture to outer space because of its technical limits that impedes its further traveling. The space boundaries are 50 kilometers above the maximum altitude of the plane, which means that Stargazer cannot go further away from the Karman line. However, the passengers will be clearly able to view the spherical boundary of Earth.

If you travel through a commercial flight it will take 11 hours to drop you from Tokyo to Los Angeles. But this stargazer is super-fast and takes just 1 hour. It has an engine similar to the conventional airplane. Currently, it is going through the testing phase in the labs and hypersonic wind tunnels. According to various sources, the first ground test of the plane will be done by 2025 to evaluate its performance. The company's main concern is the safety and reliability of the plane because the public is very much reluctant and has become frantic with fear after the incident of the Concorde plane crash which took place back in 2000. The company will have to remove the deep-seated psychological fears of their target market regarding supersonic vehicles. Moreover, the prices of the tickets will be more or less the same as that of the first-class commercial planes so it might not be affordable for all the commercial airplane passengers. But in future the prices will be brought down.

Seems like the startup has an optimistic and a lucrative game plan. However, the actual results will be revealed once it becomes available for the public.

 

How we are using Ambient Computing in our daily lives

We have been interacting with technology all our lives through a number of devices. Our relationship with technology is well depicted when we are lost and bent over the screens of our mobile phones. Many people have realized that it is harmful to waste and spend too much time on gadgets. They are now in search of a friction free way in which they can fulfill their computer or technology related tasks without clinging to the devices. This is where the concept of ambient computing comes in. 

What is Ambient Computing?

Ambient computing is the idea of integrating computer power in our daily lives in a way that technology becomes available to us in an invisibly useful manner. This tech trend is also referred to as "ubiquitous computing or "pervasive computing." This notion of embedding technology in a seamless way in our day to day activities has been implemented in real terms through the smart devices and sensors. Ambient computing has made interaction and communication easier and users’ experience more personalized through its natural user interface (i.e. physical gestures or the voice commands). 

Everyday Applications of Ambient Computing

There are a number of technologies and gadgets used in pervasive computing such as speech recognition, artificial intelligence, motion tracking, internet of things, wearables etc. These have added flexibility and adaptiveness to our routine. Many renowned companies are offering voice assistant services such as Alexa, Siri and Google Assistants which has elicited interest of people as it allows them to interact with machines in a humanly manner and without any hassle. If we talk about smart thermostats they have motion sensors in them, you can remotely control the temperature of your surroundings through smartphones, laptops, or tablets etc. It allows you to adjust the heating, cooling and ventilation system of your homes and also saves energy. Similarly, wearables have been very useful in the healthcare sector as a health monitoring tool. They can diagnose a disease, detect the blood sugar level of a patient and also offer them personalized care. However, privacy and security concerns are still there because ambient computing requires data collection and analysis.

On the whole, people have become well aware of the potential of ambient computing and they are also embracing its feature of continuous connectivity. Thus, it can be said that we are heading towards a frictionless economy at a very fast pace.

 

Why is Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology becoming so popular?

The need for urgent climate action

Greenhouse gases have adversely impacted the climatic condition due to which there has been an increase in the number of disasters such as thunderstorms, floods, land sliding, and wildfires. People have started to adopt a greener and environmentally friendly approach in order to deal with carbon dioxide emission. Electric vehicles and solar panels have become more popular. We have also seen a decrease in deforestation and a rise in reforestation programs. Trees and plants play a major role in absorbing the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. However, this is not enough to control the level of greenhouse gases and we have to think of other alternatives.

A solution for the climate change

Direct Air Capture (DAC) is a new technology and a wiser option which performs the same role as plants and trees and also requires less land. It traps the excess carbon dioxide from the air through chemical reactions. As the atmospheric air moves along, some chemicals react and capture carbon dioxide from it while other components are free to pass. In this whole process liquid solvents or sometimes solid sorbents are used to trap the gas. Later, with the help of heating carbon dioxide is separated from the solvent or the sorbent. This reduces the concentration of carbon dioxide from the air and the excess is stored deep underground. It is interesting to note that only renewable energy such as the energy from waste is required in this process.

3 key benefits of Direct Air Capture are as follows:

Efficient land utilization: Unlike other techniques, very less space or land is needed for the installation of DAC plants. For example, a space of 0.42 acres is required for one plant which can reduce up to four thousand tons of carbon dioxide per year. This method is comparatively more effective and feasible than trees. A total of 220 trees can be planted in the same space which will accumulate or trap just 4.62 tons of gas each year.

Plants are not location specific: Wherever you go, the concentration of carbon dioxide will remain the same in the air. So DAC plants can be installed at any place without considering the source of emission. But there has to be a renewable energy source near it and also an area where you can store the gas.

Scalability and Measurability: The DAC machines are designed to perfection and made on the basis of modular technology, so it has the element of scalability. These plants also allow you to measure the amount of carbon dioxide which they trap.

The aim is to halve the emission of carbon dioxide by the year 2030 with the help of new technologies. However, DAC requires massive amounts of energy in order to perform its functions smoothly and effectively.