By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Hacking HIPAA
    June 25, 2013
    VIVUS, Inc., Presses the Case for Obesity Drug Qnexa, Market Success
    October 18, 2011
    incentives and healthcare
    The Real Price of Incentives: Loss of Trust
    July 26, 2013
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Your Health is What You Drive: Digital Health in the Driver’s Seat
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Devices > Your Health is What You Drive: Digital Health in the Driver’s Seat
BusinesseHealthMedical DevicesMedical InnovationsTechnology

Your Health is What You Drive: Digital Health in the Driver’s Seat

Paul Sonnier
Paul Sonnier
Share
3 Min Read
Image
SHARE

Image

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my role in my organization involves constantly surveying the global digital health ecosystem. Recently, I attended Dr. Leslie Saxon’s 6th annual USC Body Computing Conference (BCC).

Image

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my role in my organization involves constantly surveying the global digital health ecosystem. Recently, I attended Dr. Leslie Saxon’s 6th annual USC Body Computing Conference (BCC).

More Read

MGMA 2011 Conference in Las Vegas
All You Need To Know About Patient Portals
The Future of Medicine: How Cloud Computing Is Paving the Way to Better Medical Research
Bariatric Surgeries Per Country
Collaborative Story-Telling

While the conference offered a comprehensive overview of what’s trending in digital health (BCC never fails in this regard!), I was fascinated to see the evolution of biometric and other types of sensor-based monitoring in motor vehicles. While BMW Group (a new partner at the Center for Body Computing), was represented at the conference, Ford Motor Company is also aggressively pursuing ways to improve the driving experience and health of drivers and occupants alike. Here’s a brief rundown on the efforts of both automakers:

  • BMW Group seeks to enhance  the driving experience by measuring a driver’s heart rate, which could provide feedback to the driver to calm things a bit (even adjusting music), or comparing the driver’s heart rate to, say, a professional race car driver’s.
  • Ford is collaborating with Medtronic and WellDoc to develop its In-Car Health and Wellness Solutions program. The collaborators are developing applications and services that monitor the driver’s chronic illnesses and medical disorders while they are behind the wheel. Systems that monitor blood glucose, manage diabetes, or report on environmental pollutants and allergens could provide data and warnings to drivers, and could even safely disable the vehicle in the event of a heart attack, for example.

The approaches on display by both automakers are quite different. While BMW—the company with the advertising tagline “The Ultimate Driving Machine”—is looking for ways to appeal to the “driving enthusiast” in its customers, Ford is leaning more toward the car as an extension of a holistic approach to wellness. As consumers, it’s natural for us to gravitate to things we perceive as fun rather than things that connote a doctor’s visit or surveillance. However, since monitoring and intervention need not be obtrusive, differentiation in this segment of digital health will most likely boil down to marketing, something which automakers do quite well. It will be interesting to see how these solutions are commercialized and presented to the public, as well as to see whether they can drive the success of certain brands or particular models.

Is the entertainment quotient of digital health as integrated into the driving experience more consumer friendly than medical and safety applications? Do you think the automobile could—or should—be part of a healthcare monitoring and/or delivery system? What might these developments mean for the life sciences industry or medical device developers?

photo:car/shutterstock

TAGGED:cars
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025
physiotherapist at work
How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
Health care
August 20, 2025
Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs
7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
Health News
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

dreamstime_11153121 - Steth Money
BusinessFinanceHealth ReformPublic Health

Are You Ready for Bundled Payments?

March 1, 2014
clinical reimbursements
BusinessFinanceHospital Administration

Which Free Clinical Services Generate Shared Savings?

May 6, 2014

Forecast Looks Clear for Cloud Computing

August 26, 2012

Recognize This Face?

July 9, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?