Polar Electro Oy (commonly known as Polar) is a
Finnish manufacturer of sports training computers, particularly known for developing the world's first wireless
heart rate monitor
A heart rate monitor (HRM) is a personal monitoring device that allows one to measure/display heart rate in real time or record the heart rate for later study. It is largely used to gather heart rate data while performing various types of ph ...
.
The company is based in
Kempele
Kempele is a municipality south of the city of Oulu and south of the Oulu Airport in Northern Finland. Historically it was in the Provinces of Finland, province of Oulu (province), Oulu, but today it is in the region of North Ostrobothnia. The p ...
, Finland and was founded in 1977. Polar has approximately 1,200 employees worldwide, it has 26 subsidiaries that supply over 35,000 retail outlets in more than 80 countries. Polar manufactures a range of heart rate monitoring devices, and accessories for
athletic training
Athletic training is an Allied health professions, allied health care profession recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA)"What is an Athletic Trainer?". The Board of Certification Website. 2003.
Athletic training is also recogniz ...
and
fitness and also to measure
heart rate variability
Heart rate variability (HRV) is the physiological phenomenon of variation in the time interval between heartbeats. It is measured by the variation in the beat-to-beat interval.
Other terms used include "cycle length variability", "R–R variabi ...
.
History
In 1975, there was no accurate way to measure heart rate during training, and the idea of a wireless, portable heart rate monitor was conceived on a
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
track in
Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
.
Polar was founded in 1977, and the company filed its first patent for wireless heart rate measurement three years later. Its founder Seppo Säynäjäkangas (1942–2018) was the inventor of the first wireless
EKG heart rate monitor. In 1978, the company launched its first commercial product, the
Tunturi Pulser. In 1982, Polar launched the world's first wearable wire-free heart rate monitor, the Sport Tester PE 2000.
Today, Polar has products ranging from basic models for beginners to fitness enthusiasts and training systems designed for elite athletes. Polar has also developed heart rate monitoring and training systems for
equestrian sports
Equestrian sports are sports that use horses as a main part of the sport. This usually takes the form of the rider being on the horse's back, or the horses pulling some sort of horse-drawn vehicle.
General
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. Polar technology and devices are widely used in various scientific studies, as well as being adopted by many university research departments. In part due to its own history, and the affiliation with universities and the scientific community, Polar offers a research co-operation programme focused on supporting studies in exercise science.
In November 2015, Polar released its first optical wrist-reading heart rate monitor, the A360.
In July 2018, Dutch newspaper
De Correspondent revealed that Polar's fitness app shows users on the map, making it possible to find out their real names, profession and home addresses.
In a reaction, Polar ended some of the online functionality of sharing routes on the map.
Current products
References
Further reading
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* Hoffman, Michael (December 14, 2009).
Heart-rate monitors help PT flunkers. ''
Military Times
Sightline Media Group, formerly Gannett Government Media and Army Times Publishing Company, is a United States company that publishes newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications about the U.S. and other militaries.
The company's '' ...
''.
External links
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{{Authority control
Finnish companies established in 1977
Electronics companies established in 1977
Sporting goods manufacturers of Finland
Finnish brands
Watch brands
Activity trackers
Kempele