Ford’s SYNC System Will Soon Warn Drivers of Pollen Counts and Other Allergens

By: Kuljit Grewal  |   August 5th, 2012   |   Business, Cars, Mobile Apps, News, Smartphones

We at TQ are big fans of automobiles as well as disruptive technologies, so anytime there is cross over we are enthralled. Recently we read about how Ford Motor Company, who have literally reinvented themselves as an innovative maker of quality cars have planned on improving the integration and capabilities of their in-car infotainment system dubbed Ford Sync.

 

One of the main aims for the company moving forward has been the integration of Smartphones into the system to allow driver’s to use their in-car controls to manage their devices as well as the apps there within.  To aid this process, Sync will soon be able to integrate a new feature called AppLink, which will allow control of Smartphone applications using voice control. As reported by TQ, other car companies are trying to do similar things by integrating Siri and its Eyes Free feature into their vehicles.

 

One of the apps that will be useable and fully integrated is called Allergy Alert. The free app, which aggregates information from Pollen.com will allow drivers to hear about specific allergy conditions in real time based on their GPS location (via the in-car navigation). Once a driver says “current location”, data is collected and communicated to the driver on the car’s infotainment display.

 

Data is presented based on a scale from 0 to 12, with 12 being pollen heaven. Other features of the application include asthma risk warnings for those who suffer from the ailment, flu index reports as well as the risks associated with UV rays at that place and time.

 

The technology and feature will only be available in the US for now, however we expect to see the technology expand to Canada once Ford sees the type of popularity it commands.

 

Ford is not done there however. According to Wired, they have launched several health related projects in May of this year attempting to merge various health related devices that can be commanded by voice. The plan is to leverage the plethora of health related apps that are available to take safe and healthy driving to a whole new level.