Insights \ Health Hits

Ten years ago, I drove across the country in an 18-wheeler that was equipped with surprising safety features: Lane departure warning system, night vision display and adaptive cruise control.

In 2000, the three technologies had lots of potential but were still in testing stages. Today, they're available options on high-end cars.

The pace at which technology features roll out has quickened considerably. A few years ago medical equipment makers were just beginning to build devices that communicate wirelessly with doctors or others. Now auto manufacturers and medical equipment makers are pairing up to enable communication between devices and cars--all in the name of safety.

Last week, Ford announced it was opening up its SYNC car communication and computer system to several medical device and data companies. Ford is working with Pollen.com, for example, to provide voice activated allergy forecasts tailored to people with asthma.

It's also working with Medtronic, a diabetes equipment maker, to allow glucose monitoring devices to talk with its cars' SYNC computer system. Glucose monitoring devices keep tabs on blood sugar levels and can emit audible warnings if someone with diabetes blood sugar drops or rises to dangerous levels. Extreme low and high blood sugar can lead to drowsiness, disorientation, stroke or coma.

Such devices would communicate with Ford's SYNC via Bluetooth. The car would add a layer of warnings when blood sugar levels hit certain triggers. It could communicate those warnings to others--your doctor, emergency responders or the parents of an insulin-dependent teenager.

Right now, that's the extent of the technology, but it's not hard to see where this is going next. Suppose a driver with diabetes passes out from low-blood sugar--could a future version of this car anticipate that event, contact emergency responders and steer the car to the side of the road?

There are other implications besides safety (Big Brother anyone?), but the idea that you might be able to prevent catastrophic car accidents by simply allowing medical devices to communicate with cars is intriguing.

It'll be interesting to see where Ford, Medtronic and others go with this interconnectivity. When I was test driving the high-tech rig in 2000, the other driver and I eventually disabled the safety equipment as we made our way across the heartland. It simply provided too much safety feedback and became distracting.

It took nearly 10 years to work out the kinks.