Could Your Vehicle Seat Predict a Heart Attack?

May 24th, 2011

When it comes to dangers on the road, we’re going to guess you immediately think of people who aren’t paying attention because they are texting while driving, distracted by who knows what or the like. What probably doesn’t come to mind at first is that the driver next to you could suddenly suffer a heart attack. You’re welcome for that ray of sunshine today.

But there is indeed a bright spot: Engineers at Ford have developed a prototype car seat that uses electrocardiograph (ECG) technology to monitor the heart’s electrical impulses and detect signs of irregularity, resulting in an early warning that a driver should seek medical assistance, such as for a heart attack, high blood pressure, electrolyte imbalances or other cardiovascular issue.

Now, don’t imagine having to add 15 minutes to your commute in order to attach metal electrodes all over your skin before you can start the engine. Rather, this ECG seat has six built-in sensors that can detect heart activity through clothing. The sensors pick up the electrical impulses generated by the heart, turning them into signals that can be analyzed by medical experts or computer software.

Yet you’re probably thinking, when you’ve seen people in a movie having a heart episode, they’re not exactly calm, cool or collected, so you figure in the real world, a driver wouldn’t put on a turn signal, check for traffic and maneuver gracefully to the side of the road. Here’s where things get even more interesting: Ford is also testing the prototype seat to understand how it could work with other advanced systems within Ford vehicles to warn a driver to pull over and seek medical attention, possibly mitigating the consequences of a driver losing control, or even send out an alert to emergency medical workers if necessary. Connected to a system such as Ford SYNC® with MyFord Touch™, the seat potentially could use the driver’s mobile phone to send a message to medical centers, alerting doctors to irregular heart activity. The seat also could be linked through SYNC to inform emergency response teams of the driver’s heart condition before, during and after an accident.

For more on this story please check out: http://www.thefordstory.com/our-articles/technologies/safety/could-your-vehicle-seat-predict-a-heart-attack/

Ford will offer start-stop in North America in 2012

Dearborn, Michigan – Ford will offer start-stop technology, which shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop, on conventional cars, crossovers and SUVs in North America in 2012. Start-stop systems, similar to those used on hybrids, are available on several vehicles in Europe, but currently only in Canada on the Porsche Panamera and Cayenne. 

Ford said that its new Auto Start-Stop for gasoline engines will improve fuel economy for most drivers by at least four per cent, and depending on vehicle size and usage, can be as high as ten per cent for some drivers. The technology will be showcased on a concept vehicle in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. 

“For the driver, Ford Auto Start-Stop provides extra fuel efficiency without inconvenience, as it works completely automatically,” said Barb Samardzich, Ford vice-president of powertrain engineering. “And just like in our hybrid vehicles, the heater and air conditioner work as normal so drivers will not sacrifice comfort.”

In Europe, the system is standard on the ECOnetic models of the Ford Ka and Mondeo and is launching now on the Focus, C-Max and Grand C-Max. The system will eventually be offered in all of Ford’s global markets. When it debuts in North America, it will be available on gasoline cars with either a manual or automatic transmission. The system uses an enhanced twelve-volt battery and upgraded starter motor.

Courtesy of Canadian Driver

Dandelions can do what?

Dandelions can do what?

The lowly dandelion, scourge of homeowners everywhere, is getting some love in a most unusual place: the auto industry, which could use the weed to make cup-holders and other interior bits.

Researchers at Ford and Ohio State University say a milky-white substance in the roots of an especially hardy strain of dandelion can be used to make synthetic rubber. It’s the latest example of nature showing us how to build cars more sustainably. Brazilian researchers, for example, are looking at bananas and pineapples as a source of more-ecofriendly plastic, while Toyota hopes to one day build a car out of seaweed.

“Synthetic rubber is not a sustainable resource, so we want to minimize its use in our vehicles when possible,” Ford research engineer Angela Harris said. “Dandelions have the potential to serve as a great natural alternative to synthetic rubber in our products.”

The dandelion in question is a Russian variety, Taraxacum kok-saghyz, being grown at the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. A milky-white substance that seeps from the roots is used to produce the rubber.

In a nutshell, the plants are carefully harvested to ensure the roots remain intact. The roots are ground to extract the milky-white latex. The latex is vulcanized, a process Ellen Lee, a researcher in Ford’s plastics research group, said involves cross-linking the polymer chains.

“Basically, if you think of the rubber molecules as long strings, vulcanizing would tie them all together to add durability, creating that rubber substance from the milky white liquid,” she said.

Ford sees the substance as a potential plastics modifier that could improve the impact strength of plastics. Should the material prove durable enough for mass production, it could be used in things like cup-holders, floor mats and interior trim.