heart rate
in 1983, Polar Electro launched the world’s first heart rate monitor based on the simple concept of having a chest strap as a sensor and a wristwatch as a heart rate display, memory and user interface. this concept has been trustworthy and a norm for sport heart rate measurement for decades. a couple of years ago, advancement in several technological areas like led’s, batteries, acceleration sensors and microprocessors made it possible to integrate optical heart rate measurement into a wristwatch. concurrently, the need for easier and more comfortable usability than what is offered with a chest strap, especially in low and moderate level exercising, has steadily increased. there has been some skepticism about the accuracy of wrist-based heart rate measurement compared to chest strap measurement that has been proven to be as accurate as ecg monitors used in hospitals. some of the wrist heart rate products currently on the market indicate that the accuracy can be a problem if thorough understanding from several design areas of wrist heart rate measurement are not in place. after carefully studying and researching the pros and cons of wrist heart rate measurement Polar Electro has verified that it is possible to implement wrist heart rate measurement in such a high quality level that it meets the expectations of our customers
