Photo: Ford
Ford thinks in the future we’ll see a lot of old drivers hanging on to their car keys for as long as its physically possible to drive. And you know what happens when an old person refuses to give up on riding his/her car.
Without being disrespectful, old drivers represent a possible danger for traffic and the reasons are beyond evident, starting with bad vision and ending with a sudden heart attack.
Thankfully, technology today comes to help drivers more and more in the daily traffic routine and Ford just unveiled it’s piece of tech aimed especially at over-65 year old customers - seats that can detect a heart attack.
"The system will be able to detect if someone is having a cardiovascular issue, for example a heart attack, and could also be used to detect the symptoms of other conditions such as high blood pressure or electrolyte imbalances,” said Ford Research Center Dr Achim Lindner. “This not only benefits the driver; but also could make the roads safer for all users."
While the camera “sees” the driver slumping at an unusual angle, the sensors will detect irregular heart beats. If a heart attack occurs, the vehicle’s self driving module kicks in to stop in a safe location and avoid an imminent collision.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there are about 715,000 reported heart attacks each year in the US alone, which is quite a lot and if they happen on the road, there are slim chances to avoid a crash.
There’s no info about the date we’ll see such seats fitting Ford’s models, but the company’s managing director Pim van der Jagt said is should come in less than five years from now.
Thankfully, technology today comes to help drivers more and more in the daily traffic routine and Ford just unveiled it’s piece of tech aimed especially at over-65 year old customers - seats that can detect a heart attack.
"The system will be able to detect if someone is having a cardiovascular issue, for example a heart attack, and could also be used to detect the symptoms of other conditions such as high blood pressure or electrolyte imbalances,” said Ford Research Center Dr Achim Lindner. “This not only benefits the driver; but also could make the roads safer for all users."
How does the seat works?
Each seat will hold six electronic sensors mounted in key areas which will operate in tandem with a camera that monitors the driver permanently in order to detect the symptoms of a heart attack.While the camera “sees” the driver slumping at an unusual angle, the sensors will detect irregular heart beats. If a heart attack occurs, the vehicle’s self driving module kicks in to stop in a safe location and avoid an imminent collision.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there are about 715,000 reported heart attacks each year in the US alone, which is quite a lot and if they happen on the road, there are slim chances to avoid a crash.
There’s no info about the date we’ll see such seats fitting Ford’s models, but the company’s managing director Pim van der Jagt said is should come in less than five years from now.
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