Milan, September 23, 2026 — STEP FuturAbility District, the technological space for scientific dissemination in Piazza Adriano Olivetti 1 in Milan, renews “Future Trends”, the installation that presents the main trends of the future guided by digital transformation. Unpublished studies and new research now have a new digital look thanks to sophisticated double-sided ledwalls, which allow dynamic and immersive data visualization. The new installation will be presented to the public during a weekend with free admission by reservation on Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 September through the website www.steptothefuture.it
Future trends is developed in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Knowledge Partner of STEP FuturAbility District, and represents the fourth stage of the visit. The new installation aims to explore the macro-trends of the future driven by digital transformation identified by BCG, showing the expected growth rates globally over the next ten years. The visitor also has the opportunity to explore through augmented reality a future in which intelligent and technological robots, drones and highways of the future will truly support man on a daily basis.
LED wall technology
The introduction of digital ledwalls makes it possible to consult the Boston Consulting Group's data that is always up to date, giving STEP visitors a much more engaging experience characterized by strong immersion and dynamic visual content: a vibrant space of light and moving data in line with the digital aesthetics of the other steps of the journey. Such an experience ensures a greater capacity for engagement and understanding of the messages and contents presented, increasing the effectiveness of a dynamic and fascinating visual story.
The ledwalls support different pixel resolutions, have various levels of brightness and can accommodate independent content on each side. The design and creation of the multimedia content have been entrusted to Dotdotdot, a design studio specialized in creating experiential paths between physical and digital spaces.
“In the STEP FuturAbility District journey, the 'Future trends' stage is truly a window to the future: an installation that today is enriched with technology and content, testifying to STEP's continuous commitment to the dissemination of digital culture. Since its inauguration in 2022, we have invested more than 6.5 million euros in technologies, production and updates of content and installations to make STEP FuturAbility District a space that is always alive, updated and constantly evolving; a place for scientific dissemination open to everyone and available to everyone, from young students to curious elderly people, from skeptics to professionals and tech enthusiasts. Our goal remains to make the future more accessible and understandable, so that everyone can consciously experience the transformation that is already taking place around us” says Cristina Paciello, Head of STEP FuturAbility District.
“We are pleased to give continuity to the partnership with STEP FuturAbility District, a space for access to innovation that we have supported since day one. Through Future Trends, we also bring BCG's orientation to the future and innovation among the installations, offering an updated picture of the macro-trends that characterize some of the main international sectors. A collaboration that allows us to be, together with STEP, protagonists of the future that we help to create.” concludes Silvia Boschetti, EMC Marketing Senior Director of BCG.
The new trends of the future
The new installation has also been enriched with three new areas of research that will have direct repercussions on people's daily lives in the short to medium term:
-Space Economy and smart satellites: an area that touches on sustainability and connectivity, from the management of satellite data for climate monitoring and the protection of biodiversity, to new infrastructures for global telecommunications.
-Digital Health: technology as an enabler of precision medicine, increasingly personalized and preventive. With the integration of Artificial Intelligence and data analysis, advanced diagnostics and telemedicine enhance diagnoses through the processing of complex data. Health systems are becoming more efficient and accessible in the area.
-Digital Payments: in the digital payments sector, technologies are making transactions invisible, fluid and protected - from biometrics to blockchain - transforming the way in which value is exchanged in everyday life.
These three unprecedented future trends are accompanied by those already present and updated in the STEP path and which concern generative Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, the invisible engine of transformation that is revolutionizing every economic sector; Advanced Robotics, Drones and Autonomous Systems, which from purely military use are becoming protagonists of a wide range of civil applications; IoT and Smart Home, the so-called smart homes and connected, and Smart Highways and Smart Cities, so technology is transforming highway infrastructures and cities into sentient ecosystems, capable of interacting with their inhabitants to improve their quality of life.
The methodology behind the data
For each trend presented in the installation, BCG builds a multi-year growth forecast over a horizon of more than 10 years, distinguishing between historical data already observed and future projections. The work processes, through BCG analysis, data from various internationally recognized market research institutes, using estimates of compound annual growth to build a consistent trajectory over time.
The data are presented at a global or European level based on the theme and their selection is designed to make the trends concrete and close to the visitor experience, with attention to the real scale and the dissemination of technologies rather than just the financial value of the markets.
What is STEP FuturAbility District
STEP FuturAbility District is a technological space for scientific dissemination in which to experience the current digital transformation. STEP FuturAbility District is located in Milan in Piazza Adriano Olivetti 1. Inaugurated at the end of May 2022, more than 120 thousand people have so far visited STEP and taken part in its scientific activities, such as workshops, educational activities for schools and free Sunday workshops dedicated to children and their families.
STEP FuturAbility District employs a Scientific Committee composed of authoritative representatives of the academic, institutional and business world, who contribute to the definition of STEP's educational and dissemination approach, significantly supporting the project's growth path.
The initiative also enjoys the patronage of the City of Milan and scientific collaboration with the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Observatori del Politecnico di Milano, institutional partners of STEP.
The STEP path is also made possible thanks to the support of numerous partner companies that share its values and objectives, contributing to the dissemination of the culture of innovation in the various industrial sectors, in the world of work and school. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) participates in the continuous enrichment of the contents as Knowledge Partner, Autostrade per l'Italia as Innovation Infrastructure Partner, Bracco as Scientific Partner, CAIroRCS Media as Media Partner, IMCD as Technology Innovation Lab Partner, Trenord as Mobility Partner, Oppo and NTT DATA as Technological Partner and Wallife as Insurance Partner.
STEP FuturAbility District represents the commitment of Fastweb + Vodafone to promote the digitalization of the country, making the digital skills essential to face future challenges accessible and offering all citizens the opportunity to learn about and understand emerging technologies.