Polar Electro
Manufacturer of sports training devices From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[1]
 | This article contains promotional content. (February 2023) |
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| Company type | Private – Oy |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports instruments |
| Founded | 1977 in Kempele, Finland |
| Founder | Seppo Säynäjäkangas |
| Headquarters | Kempele , Finland |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Heart rate monitors |
Number of employees | 1,200 |
| Website | www |
The company is based in Kempele, 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 and fitness and also to measure heart rate variability.
History
Summarize
Perspective
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 track in Finland.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4][5][6]
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. Polar technology and devices are widely used in various scientific studies,[7][8] 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.[9][10]
In November 2015, Polar released its first optical wrist-reading heart rate monitor, the A360.[11][12]
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.[13] In a reaction, Polar ended some of the online functionality of sharing routes on the map.
Current products
As of March 2024[update]
| Model | Category | Announcement date |
|---|---|---|
| Polar Grit X Pro | watch | 2021-10-06[14] |
| Polar Grit X2 Pro | watch | 2024-03-20[15] |
| Polar H9 | heart rate sensor | 2020-01-29[16] |
| Polar H10 | heart rate sensor | 2017-03-15[17] |
| Polar Ignite | watch | 2019-06-26[18] |
| Polar Ignite 2 | watch | 2021-03-24[19] |
| Polar Ignite 3 | watch | 2022-11-09[20] |
| Polar Ignite 3 Titanium | watch | 2023-06-14[21] |
| Polar M460 | bike computer | 2017-04-12[22] |
| Polar OH1+ | heart rate sensor | 2019-04-09[23] |
| Polar Pacer | watch | 2022-04-13[24] |
| Polar Pacer Pro | watch | 2022-04-13[25] |
| Polar Unite | watch | 2020-06-30[26] |
| Polar Vantage M2 | watch | 2021-03-24[27] |
| Polar Vantage V3 | watch | 2023-10-11[28] |
| Polar Vantage M3 | watch | 2024-10-23 |
| Polar Verity Sense | heart rate sensor | 2021-02-10[29] |
References
Further reading
External links
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