Ford wants to add cars that monitor your health, wellness

Nowadays, when a light flashes on the dashboard of your vehicle, you know it’s time to get oil.

In the future, similar alerts could be an indicator that flashes, “you look hungry.” The series of health and wellness monitoring apps being developed for Ford’s Sync onboard communications interface won’t be available for the next year or two, but customer health is a focus the automaker is emphasizing. Paul Mascarenas, Ford’s chief technology officer, commented:

“People are spending so much time behind the wheel, and that’s expected to increase as we go forward, with increased traffic density and congestion,” he said. “(This is) about seeing the car as more than just a car. It’s now a platform that we can use for development, innovation, and connectivity.”

Among the indicators of health the apps could monitor are blood sugar and allergies. But, Popular Science points out, this could also extend to something like blood alcohol level, which could in turn foray into invasion of privacy. Ford acknowledges the technology is possible, but insists health and wellness is the current focus.

It’s an interesting innovation, to be sure, but would you buy a car that knows so much about you? Could this ostensibly affect insurance rates?