Ford Motor Co. and the Henry Ford Health System are co-sponsoring an innovation challenge that offers $10,000 in prize money to employees who come up with smartphone apps that link healthcare with vehicles.
Ideas could include in-vehicle health monitoring and warnings, medical-test ordering and records access from the road, appointment check-ins, prescription ordering and data that can be transmitted to a doctor's office or hospital.
In theory, the car and technology will do the work while the driver stays focused on the road.
“We are excited to see the kind of creativity that is generated when we combine the tremendous talent of these two organizations. We believe this is the first challenge of its kind in the world,” said Ward Detwiler, associate director of Henry Ford Health System Innovations, in a press release.
Online submissions open on Jan. 20. For more information, visit www.henryfordinnovation.com/healthcareonwheels.
Ten finalists from online submissions will be chosen in March, followed by prototypes, pitches and finally the selection of three winners by May or June.
The winning design will receive $5,000; with a runner-up prize of $3,000 and third-place prize of $2,000. Individual submissions will be accepted but employees are encouraged to form teams.
“There's no limit to the ideas that we're looking for. Big ideas, small ideas. We're looking for ways to use technology to do things as simple as increasing convenience for the health consumer and improving the driver experience, to as significant as saving lives,” said Detwiler.
