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“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” ― Coco Chanel

I’ve always loved this quote by French fashion designer and founder of the Chanel brand. It reminds me of the old adage – we are what we wear.

But in a GigaOm article and an InfoWorld article this week, this adage is taken to the next level. The news coverage discusses the future possibilities of us wearing sensors and transmitters to route and relay data.

For example, our clothes and accessories will dictate how our information is communicated and received. When you check into a hospital, your outfit du jour will connect with the hospital network to finalize the check-in process and provide your doctors and nurses with crucial information regarding your health. With such capabilities, hospitals would be able to track and manage the flow of incoming patients and detect who is in need of immediate attention.

To take this idea a step further, not only will our “wearables” just collect data, they will create makeshift unified networks. Perhaps instead of simply connecting devices and communicating through networks, humans will form and shape these vast networks by what we wear and the way we live.

To create such a connected human network, Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) addresses will need to be issued to create a unique-to-each person system of data gathering and sharing. I’ve long been an advocate for issuing IPv6 addresses to everyone in order to create a global ID. This could be a way of updating the antiquated social security number system in our country.

In my upcoming keynote address at Cisco Live!, I’ll be discussing more about this subject. I’m looking forward to sharing more of my thoughts about what life will look like when the power of connections create an optimized wireless network system.

Follow me at @DaveTheFuturist and join the conversation: #IoE #InternetofEverything #IPv6



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