Quantified Self - Leveraging the Internet of Things

The era of the Quantified Self (QS) is well among us. Technology experts are coming to terms with the realization of how powerful the Internet of Things (IoT) will be moving forward. These two movements, with a strong backing of avid followers, will lead us into a very data centric and data driven culture - for the individual. There has been some overlap of these two areas, but we are just scratching the surface of the possibilities.

What would the world look like if we started integrating the QS movement with the emerging technology of the IoT?

1) New Forms of Data Sources

First, data would start coming from a plethora of sources. For instances, rather than just wearing a FitBit or a data collection shirt, we could start gathering data from everything. Shoes could collect data on the force that you are walking/running with each step. Eyewear could determine your running style. Shirts could determine the best posture for your body style. We need to change our thinking from just wearing forms of apparel to articles of clothing that have the technology to capture data. The right data.

2) Sports Will Change Forever

Second, all the previous examples are merely centered towards improving running form. What if we could start amassing data and insight for sports that are much more complex in nature. Imagine a golf glove that could determine the most appropriate grip for your golf swing. Clothes could be used to capture the ideal form to throw the fastest fastball or most difficult to hit curveball. Tennis would change drastically from foot work to specific swing styles such as top spin, serve, and slices. I am only ankle deep in the ocean right now.

For all of this to work, it is critical that a central data hub must be established for each individual in the QS. The IoT would collect data from each source and store it in a master data management system, so that analytics and insights could be performed.

3) What About Areas Other Than Fitness? 

Now that I have opened a line of thought for how the sporting world would change, what about your daily life? In this area, the management of energy is of utmost importance. Forget sleep pattern collection, time management, or even productivity evaluation. In the end, the management of one's energy is the center block for improving the productivity and output of your life. Sleep and time management are merely inputs to the equation.

In this future, the IoT technology could be used to monitor one's energy and develop the most appropriate sleep, eating, and work patterns to maximize energy. How would this technology manifest itself? I am not certain of the specific answer. But on an abstract notion, the technology will utilize the data collection from numerous sources, store it in a centralized data hub, run analytics on the data, and present the insight to the user in the form of the QS.

Our society is moving towards the junction of the QS and the IoT. There is no doubt about that. How do you foresee the world unfolding and powering the individual with data insight from everyday activities?