After helping provide a healthy increase for Ford sales, the automaker’s breakthrough in-vehicle connectivity and communications system—SYNC—is looking to return the favor by improving the health of its users. It’s part of a new partnership between Ford and some of the country’s leading experts in the healthcare industry, who are working together to leverage SYNC functionality for customers with chronic health problems like diabetes, asthma and environmental allergies.
These individuals need to monitor both their own conditions and those of their surroundings at all times, and SYNC provides a number of potential solutions that can help. For example, Ford researchers recently showcased how the system’s Bluetooth compatibility can be used to allow it to connect with portable, continuous glucose-monitoring devices often used by today’s diabetes patients to avoid low glucose levels.
“To address the growing challenge of chronic diseases, Medtronic is collaborating with companies like Ford to develop innovative solutions,” said James Dallas, senior vice president of Medtronic, a leading maker of glucose-monitoring systems. “Diabetes in particular is a chronic disease where frequent monitoring of blood glucose levels throughout the day is critical. By utilizing information technology and consumer electronic devices, we can help patients actively manage their health via access to real-time data on phones, hand-held devices or even in their cars.”
In addition, Ford is working with SDI Health and www.Pollen.com to allow SYNC to access the website’s iPhone app for location-based day-by-day index levels for pollen, UV exposure and other conditions that can affect asthma, cold and cough sufferers.
“Our developers initially created the iPhone app to provide users with greater access to the information they’ve come to rely on from pollen.com,” said Jody Fisher, vice president of marketing for SDI. “Having instant, portable access for their conditions helps users plan their day or week ahead so they can remain active, which ultimately improves their quality of life. Collaborating with Ford is the perfect extension of this objective.”
And while this technology is still in the testing phase, Ford is clearly looking for ways its SYNC products can help satisfy tomorrow’s new customers.
“Ford SYNC is well known in the industry and with consumers as a successful in-car infotainment system, but we want to broaden the paradigm, transforming SYNC into a tool that can help improve people’s lives as well as the driving experience,” said Paul Mascarenas, chief technology officer and vice president, Ford Research and Innovation.
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