Ford Cars of the Future Will Drive Away Allergies

The time is coming when you'll be able to ditch your 

Claritin for a "Car-i-tin" of sorts.
The Ford Motor Co. 

plans to leverage its existing SYNC infotainment 

system to monitor pollen alerts and local weather 

forecasts as part of its health management services 

geared toward helping the more than 60 million 

Americans plagued with asthma and seasonal 

allergies. 

Anyone who suffers from asthma or allergies knows 

it helps to have a clear understanding of 

environmental factors and potential symptom triggers s

uch as pollen counts in order to avoid an attack. To 

sniff out the best allergy prevention applications, 

Ford worked with experts, including medical device 

manufacturers, health care management service 

providers and Web-based medical alert services, to 

come up with a series of onboard "apps" and phone 

apps that can be synched up to your ride. Think of it 

as shnoz control. 

"When drivers and passengers are essentially captive 

in the car, they can use the time they may not 

ordinarily take to handle their health issues," noted 

Gary Strumolo, Ford's global manager of interiors, 

infotainment, health and wellness research, part of 

Ford's research and innovation division. 

To avert itchy eyes and runny noses, the cars will use 

a variety of tools, including Bluetooth wireless 

connections, that will allow the cars to share 

information with medical devices and perhaps even 

doctors, much the same as it already allows voice 

activated cellphone connections. Working off the 

same GPS technology that gives you driving 

directions and traffic reports, cloud-based 

applications -– software you can access without 

owing a physical copy -– will provide instant access 

to medical services. 

Ford is also partnering with www.pollen.com, among 

others, to SYNC-enable its smartphone Allergy Alert 

app. This will provide drivers with location-based, 

day-by-day index levels for pollen; asthma, cold and 

cough and ultraviolet sensitivity, as well as four-day 

forecasts. Strumolo speculates the cars might even be 

capable of planning the healthiest routes to avoid 

smog and other environmental sensitivities.

Dr. Tania Mucci, senior internal medicine resident at
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City,
thinks Ford is heading in he right direction. "A
program that alerts patients when pollen levels are
particularly high can remind them to implement some
of those avoidance measures such as keeping
windows closed and air conditioning on," she said.
"Reminders to take medications when pollen levels are
high is key because many allergy medications are
most effective if taken before allergy symptoms are
felt." 
And this is just the beginning of Ford's health care
cars. The company is exploring a variety of apps and
services for diabetics, including glucose monitoring
and real-time patient coaching, behavioral education
and medication adherence support. Company officials
are also figuring out ways to ease driver's stress. "We
already have a chair massage and parking assist
feature," Ford's Strumolo said. "In the future the car
may be able to monitor heart rate and other stress
indicators and it might do things like change the
music to help you mellow out." 
Ford, which is apparently the only automaker with
such "medical" cars in the works, plans to have the
mobile allergy sniffers on the road within two years.