Researchers at Ford have developed a series of in-car health and wellness apps and services aimed at monitoring people with chronic illnesses or medical disorders so they can manage their condition while on the go.

These in-car health and wellness connectivity solutions include:

Glucose Monitoring. Working with Medtronic, a leading manufacturer of glucose-monitoring devices, Ford researchers have developed a prototype system which allows Ford SYNC to connect via Bluetooth to a Medtronic continuous glucose monitoring device and share glucose levels and trends through audio and a center stack display and provide secondary alerts if levels are too low.

Allergy alerts. Ford is working with SDI Health and www.pollen.com to SYNC-enable its smartphone Allergy Alert app through AppLink, giving users voice-controlled access to the app that provides location-based day-by-day index levels for pollen; asthma, cold and cough and ultraviolet sensitivity; as well as four-day forecasts.

WellDoc. Ford and WellDoc, a recognized leader in the emerging field of mHealth integrated services, have joined forces to integrate in-car accessibility to WellDoc's comprehensive cloud-based personalized solutions for those with asthma and diabetes through SYNC Services. Using voice commands, SYNC users can access and update their WellDoc profile to receive real-time patient coaching, behavioral education and specific support based on their historic and current disease information.

Ford In-Car Health and Wellness Solutions

Bringing mobile health and wellness solutions inside the car in a safe and meaningful way, Ford researchers are first looking at two populations with the most need for a constant connection to potentially life-saving medical information - people with diabetes and those with asthma and/or allergies.

For people with diabetes and their caregivers, constant knowledge and control of glucose levels is critical to avoiding hypoglycemia or low glucose, which can cause confusion, lightheadedness, blurry vision and a host of other symptoms that could be dangerous while driving. As important, those with asthma and allergies need to have a clear understanding of their environment and potential symptom triggers - such as pollen levels in the air - that can quickly lead to an attack. Growing in popularity among this group are web-based alert services and smartphone apps that can help flag dangerous pollen levels based on location.

Of course, there's an interesting 'back story' too. Gary Strumolo, global manager of health, wellness, interiors and infotainment for Ford research and innovation explains:

"We were interested early in our development which started with Edsel Ford, whom you may know is on our board of directors; he’s part of the Ford family and his son is diabetic. He put us in contact with Medtronic who at the time were developing the continuous glucose monitor…so it started there and we were also working on Sync and its connectivity system and we thought it would be a natural to try to hook that device because it could have Bluetooth in the car and we’d have a way to gain access to that information without taking your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel. That was the genesis of it."

Ford is also developing a car seat that monitors the driver's heartbeat. The seat sensor technology under development could initially be of most benefit to drivers known to have heart conditions – primarily those in more mature age groups, a globally growing population.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans 65 and older is projected to more than double by 2050, reaching some 88.5 million. Predictions in Europe suggest a growing trend as well, with the over-65 population reaching nearly 23 percent by 2025 and 30 percent by 2050.

Such developments open the door to a wealth of health, convenience and even life-saving potential.