Of all the near-magical electronic helpers available today, Attention Assist scores high on the safety scale. Introduced on luxury vehicles from Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, these systems monitor the driver’s attention level, issuing a noticeable warning if signs of drowsiness–perhaps even dozing–begin to appear. Clearly, such systems can save lives, and deserve to be made available in vehicles from many additional manufacturers.
Comparable value might be arriving in car-to-car communication, which could be dubbed the “next big thing.” Cars that “talk” to each other, and to the surroundings, can convey plenty of helpful information about the car’s condition, the weather, traffic patterns, and much more. Clearly, scientists and engineers have worked overtime to make in-car technology deliver a safer, more reliable, more convenient driving experience.
Ford, meanwhile, is pointing toward a different path for high-tech, with a system that monitors elements of the physical condition of the person at the wheel–but not directly in connection with his or her motoring behavior. Instead, the Ford Heart Rate Monitoring Seat that’s being developed incorporates electrode sensing technology that can check a driver’s heart activity, keeping track of the person’s heartbeat. As described by Ford, the Monitoring Seat “uses six special embedded sensors to detect electrical impulses generated by the heart.” Those sensors are positioned on the surface of the seat’s backrest.
A joint project between the Ford European Research and Innovation Centre in Aachen, Germany, and Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen University, the experimental monitor is said to fit into “Ford’s portfolio of possible in-car health and wellness solutions aimed at helping people with chronic illnesses or medical disorders manage their condition while on the go.”
Certainly, it’s hard to fault a development that promises “life-saving potential.” Researchers point out that not only could such a system monitor the hearts of people who are at risk, but might diagnose threatening conditions in drivers who were unaware that they had a problem of any sort.
“Possibilities therefore abound,” says Dr. Achim Lindner, Ford’s European Research and Innovation Centre medical officer, “from linking to remote medical services and Ford vehicle safety systems to even providing real-time health information and alerts of imminent cardiovascular issues such as a heart attack.”
Nevertheless, the image of an automobile driver being monitored continuously–rather like an astronaut in space–is a tad troubling. Ford also has announced research to leverage SYNC to “develop voice-controlled in-car connections to an array of health aids from glucose monitoring devices, diabetes management services, asthma management tools and Web-based allergen alert solutions.” Laudable goals all, yet the specter of sensitive medical information being sent from your car to who-knows-where is difficult to ignore.
Technologically-minded folks often seem incapable of following a simple adage: just because something can be done, doesn’t mean that it should be done. Shouldn’t we at least think twice before such systems keep escalating?