It's an uphill battle for an individual to catch on to these advances. I try to focus on two strategies, one of which you've mentioned which is to just "be aware" by reading, following twitter feeds etc. awareness of whats out there is a starting block. once you become aware of something you need to evaluate its potential for success. Ex. read an article on Bitcoin in 2010, is Bitcoin something that will be valuable going forward? Institutions can manipulate value through repression, over-buying, over-selling etc. Individuals can increase their odds through a form of higher-level thinking. Ex. relating a product to human values and attempting to place it on a futuristic timeline. Now, for an actionable example...
3D body imaging - lots of focus and investment around 3D printing to create concrete objects, however I am more excited with the scanning portion and the virtual representation possibilities of this technology. See Google's Tango project, or PrimeSense out of Israel. Now imagine the possibilities of having a 3D representation of your body and potentially the world around you. you could easily:
Track your BMI and your physical features (athletics, vanity, health) Try on clothing virtually (fashion, performance) Use your own body for online gaming avatar Virtual dating The list goes on and on..
Why would the above be successful? Because it decreases the cost of being inaccurate. (time, money, morale)
Now think about the value of the data to corporations that would exist from having information on everyones body size and type, the value would then compound the more they use the product to purchase new clothes, products, etc.
$$$$$
Research - come on, you dont expect me to do all the digging for you? when you want to invest, learn the industry both linearly and laterally.
What does it take to scan a body? what will all companies that do it need? who are the current industry leaders? what tech are they using? who makes it?
you could spend weeks/months researching to get the right answers.