Car system monitors diabetic drivers

Today's cars come equipped with every tech option imaginable, and if they don't, you can easily add it. Looks like we've moved past the navigation systems, the Bluetooth capabilities, and iPod readiness to something a bit more serious, like an in-dash, glucose-monitoring system (CGMS) for diabetic patients.

This week Medtronic unveiled its "M-Powered Concept Car" at the 68th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association in San Francisco. According to a report on Cnet, drivers wear a glucose-monitoring system that transmits data via Bluetooth to the car's onboard LCD display.

Its purpose is to provide diabetics with visual and audio updates of their blood sugar levels to make driving safer for them. Apparently, it even urges people to stop at a nearby restaurant to get something to eat when it detects a drop in blood sugar levels.

Steven Cragle, Medtronic's senior director of communications, says statistics have shown that losing consciousness while driving is a serious safety risk for diabetics. A future version may take this a step further by adding a feature that calls for medical assistance when the driver has abnormal levels of blood glucose or fails to respond to the system's prompts.

No word on when or if something like this will ever be available, but let's hope it at least becomes an option for diabetic patients in the future.