Ford technology reaches finals of Edison Awards

Ford's push to introduce new levels of technology into its vehicle range has resulted in a suite of nominations and finalist positions in this year's Edison Best New Product Awards.

Ford's MyFord Touch, MyKey, SYNC AppLink and rear inflatable seatbelts -- each an industry-first innovation -- are finalists in three categories honoured by the Edison Awards.

MyFord Touch and SYNC AppLink are finalists in the Transportation -- In-Car Driving Aids Category. MyKey is a finalist in the Transportation -- Remote Driving Aids category.
 
The rear inflatable seat belt system -- available in the 2011 North American Explorer SUV -- is a finalist in the Applied Technology category.

The distinguished awards symbolise the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison, inspiring America's drive to remain in the forefront of innovation, creativity and ingenuity in the global economy.
 
"This year's awards recognise a broad array of innovations including far-reaching products, services and technologies that impact daily life," said Sarah Miller Caldicott, a great grand-niece of Thomas Edison and Edison Awards Steering Committee chair.
 
"The awards applaud the forward-thinking innovations for which Thomas Edison remains internationally admired," she said.
 
"It's exciting to see companies like Ford continuing his legacy of challenging conventional thinking."
 
Ford Motor Company group vice president, Global Product Development, Derrick Kuzak, said he was pleased that four Ford technologies could win Edison Awards "which are well-respected achievements".
 
"We see in Ford showrooms every day that our connectivity technologies such as SYNC and industry-first safety innovations such as MyKey are helping us win over more customers," Kuzak said.

MyFord Touch utilises voice commands to control many of the in-car interfaces today largely controlled by knobs.  These include audio, climate control, navigation and phone systems. 

Similarly SYNC AppLink is the Ford branded free software application that gives users of SYNC smartphone apps smarter and importantly safer control.  In the U.S SYNC-enabled apps include the Pandora internet radio, Stitcher news radio and OpenBeak for Twitter.

The MyKey system allows parents to allay some of the fears of letting their offspring onto the roads, effectively giving parental control to aspects such as vehicle speed and audio system volume levels, cleverly the system will mute the teens' much prized car audio system if front seat occupants do not buckle seatbelts.

Rear inflatable seatbelts are pretty much what they sound like.  Inflatable belts spread the impact forces of a collision across five times more of the chest than conventional seatbelts.  The effect is less pressure on the chest and greater control of head and neck motion during a crash.

The ballot of nominees for the Edison Best New Product Awards is judged by 2000 members of the not-for-profit Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), an organisation comprising America's top marketing professionals and academics.
 
In a comprehensive peer-review process, the nominees are judged on marketplace innovation, marketplace success, technological innovation, market structure innovation, societal impact and design innovation.
 
Winners of the gold, silver and bronze awards will be announced on April 5 at the historic Capitale ballroom in New York.

On the awards night Ford Motor Company CEO, Alan Mulally, along with John Hendricks founder and chairman of Discovery Communications will receive the Edison Achievement award, both for making a significant and lasting contribution to innovation throughout their respective careers.

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