Ford Develops Heart Rate Monitoring Seat

Using electrode sensing technology, Ford researchers have developed a heart rate monitoring seat that can check a driver's heart activity. The project is being developed by Ford European Research and the Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany and Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen University. The seat is part of Ford's mantra of trying to create a car that can help drivers' health and well-being whilst driving, especially helping those people with chronic illnesses and medical disorders that they would be able to manage while driving instead of potentially putting other road users at risk. 

The seat is being developed by Ford engineers and uses six special embedded sensors that can monitor a drivers heart rate, heart beat and detects electrical impulses generated by the heart. Medical personnel and the driver are able to monitor the heart rate using   computer software which transmits signals directly to the driver via the vehicle and also remotely.

There are multiple possibilities for the seat according to Dr Achim Lindner, Ford European Research and Innovation Center medical officer, from linking to remote medical services and Ford vehicle safety systems to furnishing real-time health information and alerts of impending cardiovascular issues heart attacks. “The sensors use a very specially designed system and carefully researched materials to be able to give a good signal without contact on the skin,” Lindner said. “We are still fine-tuning their operation to work with some materials; certain types of synthetic fabric and lamb’s wool can cause electrical interference that upsets the signal, but we can achieve a strong signal through 10 layers of cotton,” he added.   

 “Although currently still a research project, the heart rate monitor technology developed by Ford and RWTH Aachen University could prove to be a hugely important breakthrough for Ford drivers, and not just in terms of the ability to monitor the hearts of those known to be at risk,” said Dr. Lindner.

Ford Develops Heart Rate Monitoring Seat - Image by Rennett Stowe. Source:  http://automotivediscovery.com/ford-develops-heart-rate-monitoring-seat/928650/

Even though it is still in the early stages of development, 90 to 95 percent of subjects proved to be compatible in stationary testing and on-road testing of the seat proved it was possible to achieve highly accurate readings for up to 98 percent of the time spent behind the wheel.