1. A ROCK REPORT BY
AUTOMOTIVE MEETS HEALTHCARE
SMART SEATING

2. About
REPORT
Healthcare is converging with multiple sectors, including
telecommunications and consumer electronics, creating new
opportunities for innovation. This report explores possibilities
at the intersection of the automotive and healthcare sectors.
This report was developed in collaboration with Faurecia, a
Tier 1 automotive supplier that provided expertise on the
future of the industry.
Produced by
Rock Health is a nonprofit foundation focused on the intersection of
healthcare and technology. We support the next generation of health
entrepreneurs through a startup accelerator, open-source research, and
public events.
Rock Health partners include Aberdare Ventures, Accel Partners, Fenwick
& West, Genentech, Harvard Medical School, Kaiser Permanente, Kleiner
Perkins Caufield & Byers, Mayo Clinic, Mohr Davidow Ventures, NEA, Nike,
Qualcomm, Silicon Valley Bank, UnitedHealth Group, and UCSF. "
"
For more information, visit rockhealth.com
this
Malay Gandhi
@mgxtro
Dana Rosenberg
@danarosenberg
Leslie Ziegler
@lesliejz

3. A growing number of people around the
world purchase cars each year
Global light vehicle sales—millions (2012 • / 2019 •)
17
20
6
8
23
29
26
37
7
12
Source: IHS

4. The majority of households now have "
two or more cars
57%
34%
19%
38%
3%
20%
3+
2
1
0
1960
2010
9%
22%
1.29 cars
2.03 cars
Vehicles available in U.S. households
Source: Census Bureau, Department of Transportation

5. We drive about three trillion miles a year
in our cars
2.97
trillion miles
driven per year
0 trillion
1 trillion
2 trillion
3 trillion
1960
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
00
05
2010
roughly equivalent to
16,000
round-trips to the Sun
U.S. vehicle miles (2010)
Source: Department of Transportation

6. Traditionally, all this time in the car has
been considered a detriment to health
Sitting increases
the risk of diabetes
and heart disease
Only 3.4% of people
walk or ride a
bicycle to work
Time spent commuting
is negatively correlated
with happiness
250
hours a year
Source: KPMG, Census Bureau, The New York Times, University of Zurich

7. Future
The car has evolved to address safety
concerns, and now health concerns
ACCIDENT SAFETY
§ Seat belts
§ Airbags
CRASH PREVENTION
§ Lane departure warning
§ Adaptive cruise control
§ Pedestrian detection
§ Collision avoidance
WELLNESS
§ Lumbar adjustment
§ Air filtration
§ Heated seats
§ Massage
§ Aromatherapy
1970s
2000s
BEYOND WELLNESS
§ Biosensor
incorporation
§ Condition
monitoring
§ Real-time alerts

8. Connecting the healthcare sector with
automotive is a giant opportunity
$2.7T
$1.0T
AUTO ECONOMY
HEALTH ECONOMY
Source: NPR, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

9. Multiple trends
are converging,
creating an
opportunity "
to use cars to
improve health

10. Connectivity and personalization are
changing the car interface
CONNECTIVITY
PERSONALIZATION
Cars can connect to
proprietary service
platforms, the internet and
consumer devices
The driver and passenger
experience can be
personalized to individual
preferences
SmartFit and MicroFit technologies allow
occupants to tailor seating adjustments
to their body based on photos and
embedded pressure sensors

11. New types of sensors are being added to
the many that already exist in the car
RADAR • NIGHT VISION • LIGHT DETECTION • RAIN DETECTION
GPS • OCCUPANCY • TEMPERATURE • HUMIDITY • INFRARED
WEIGHT • HEART RATE • RESPIRATION • BLOOD PRESSURE
BLOOD OXYGEN • GLUCOSE • ALERTNESS • SEAT PRESSURE

12. Consumer demand for health devices
and apps is increasing
62%
express interest in a "
self-monitoring device to check
their health condition
29%
have downloaded an app "
to help them track or manage
their health
Source: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, Pew Internet & American Life Project

13. Smart Seating is a
new concept to
connect cars with
healthcare services

14. Smart Seating works across the tech
stack to enable new services
Sensors can be embedded in the car
or brought in by occupants
Platforms can be open or closed or
accessed through user devices
Health apps and services can be
developed or curated by the
manufacturer or selected by the user
Longitudinal data collected by apps
and platforms can be shared or
proprietary based on the owner
INFRASTRUCTURE
PLATFORM
APPS &
SERVICES
DATA
ANALYTICS

15. Integrating emerging
car technologies "
with digital health
services has the
potential to capture
new data, improve
well-being and lower
healthcare costs

16. Ford incorporates multiple service
providers into a diabetes solution
Occupant-owned
Medtronic glucose monitor
is brought into the car
Ford SYNC service displays
real-time data, alerts and
sounds warnings
WellDoc Diabetes Manager
iPhone app offers patient
coaching and education
Long-term diabetes
management and health
outcomes are tracked
INFRASTRUCTURE
PLATFORM
APPS &
SERVICES
DATA
ANALYTICS
Source: Ford

17. BMW has demonstrated Nigel, an
integrated stack for health monitoring
INFRASTRUCTURE
PLATFORM
APPS &
SERVICES
DATA
ANALYTICS
Source: Technology Review
Unknown provider
Heart rate and blood pressure
sensors are embedded in the
steering wheel
Proprietary platform collects
bio-data for app and service
integration
iPhone app provides a real-
time view of bio-response to
driving
Human response to
stressors is tracked and
reported

18. Cars have the potential to address a
number of highly prevalent conditions
Condition prevalence amongst car buyers (2011)
Overweight
or obese
65%
Arthritis
24%
Hypertension
27%
Sleep
disorder
12%
Diabetes
10%
Asthma
7%
Heart
disease
6%
Back pain
48%
Source: University of Michigan research

19. The future is embedded biosensors
in the car that allow for a passive
approach to data collection. This is
not something the individual has to
remember to put on, wear or sync—
compliance is a non-issue. It is
sitting in your car everyday and
letting the data collect itself.
—Dana Lowell, Faurecia
”
“

20. Embedded weight sensors can enhance
disease and wellness services
Disease
management
Wellness
ENABLING
INFRASTRUCTURE
SERVICES
EXAMPLE/POTENTIAL
SERVICE PROVIDERS
Weight sensor
Overweight
or obese
65%
Diabetes
10%

21. Back pain could potentially be treated
using pressure sensors and services
Chronic back pain
management
Posture
ENABLING
INFRASTRUCTURE
SERVICES
EXAMPLE/POTENTIAL
SERVICE PROVIDERS
Pressure sensor
Back pain
48%

22. The ubiquity of the
car allows for all
consumers to engage
with Smart Seating to
improve their health

23. Smart Seating will enable digital
health to reach new markets
Motivated
Unmotivated
Unhealthy
Healthy
enormous
untapped
market
quantified self
movement
incentives
movement

24. Smart Seating
has broad
applications "
for innovators

25. The Smart Seating concept can
extend beyond cars
NON-AUTO TRANSPORTATION
HOME FURNITURE
OFFICE FURNITURE
Source: The New York Times, Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics
INSTITUTIONAL FURNITURE
445M
trips for U.S.
business travelers
8+ hours
a day in front of the computer
for many workers
9 years
of life in front of the TV
27%
of the U.S. population
>age 3 enrolled in school

26. Sources:
• Census Bureau, American Community Survey,
• Department of Transportation, Transportation
Energy Data Book
• Department of Transportation, Summary of
Miles Traveled
• KPMG, Self-driving cars: The next revolution
• The New York Times, Get Up. Get Out. Don’t
Sit. (via Diabetologia Journal)
• The University of Zurch, Stress That Doesn’t
Pay: The Commuting Paradox
• NPR, How Will The Gloomy World Economy
Affect U.S. Exports?
• CMS, National Health Expenditures Projections
• Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, 2012
Survey of U.S. Health Care Consumers
• Pew Internet & American Life Project, Health
Apps Downloaded
• Ford, In-Car Health & Wellness Solutions
• Technology Review, Car Could Check Your
Heart Rate While You Drive
• The New York Times, Business Travel is Rising
• Census Bureau, Facts for Features (Back to
School)
• Bureau of Labor and Statistics, American Time
Use Survey
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Presentation copyright © 2012 Rock Health
research@rockhealth.org
@Rock_Health