Zanesville, OH -- (SBWIRE) --05/25/2011 -- With a new focus on health monitoring services, Ford has developed a prototype car seat that has the ability to monitor a driver’s heart activity, potentially reducing the number of car accidents that occur when a driver has a heart attack behind the wheel.

Ford engineers at the automaker’s European Research Centre in Aachen, Germany have been working closely with Aachen University on this project, which addresses a safety concern that is often overlooked. When compared to drivers who do not suffer from heart ailments, drivers with cardiovascular disease are 23 percent more likely to be involved in a car accident, while those who suffer from angina are 52 percent more likely.

The system will use ECG (electrocardiograph) technology to monitor the heart’s electrical impulses through six built-in sensors that can detect heart activity through the driver’s clothing. The prototype seat will look for signs of irregularity, which can provide early warnings that the driver should seek medical attention.

Ford is also researching how this prototype seat can work with other in-car technologies to warn the driver that they should pull over and/or seek medical help, as well as the possibility of alerting emergency medical workers if necessary. Another area the vehicle manufacturer would like to explore is the possibility of connecting this technology to other safety systems on Ford vehicles, such as Lane Departure Warning with Lane Keeping Aid, Speed Limiter, and Active City Stop to add another layer of protection in cases where the driver actually experiences an incident.

While this technology is still in the research phase, early tests have shown exciting results. The seat recorded accurate readings for 95 percent of drivers, a promising statistic for what is to come.