Mobile healthcare is taking a huge step forward with some help from automobile maker Ford Motors. The company has announced that it is developing voice-controlled wireless technology that allows drivers to connect to various health monitoring technology and services.

Lauren Cooper is attached at the hip to her iPhone – “Seriously, it’s a problem,” she says – so when she decided to track her diet and exercise, downloading an app made perfect sense. Cooper, a project manager in Columbia, S.C., now tabulates her Weight Watchers points using one app. Another app acts as a digital coach, urging her toward running a 5K.