Polar Electro Oy, or shortly Polar is pioneered and leading manufacturer of personal heart rate monitor registering and evaluation equipment. The company is based in Kempele, Finland. Founded in 1977 by University of Oulu professor Seppo Säynäjäkangas, who remains CEO today, Polar introduced the world's first accurate wireless heart rate monitor. It has 21 subsidiaries globally and manages a distribution network supplying over 35,000 retail outlets in more than 80 countries. The group employs 1200 people worldwide. Polar manufactures a variety of heart rate measuring devices for athletic training, fitness and rehabilitation. Its product line includes HRM watches for fitness and cross-training, running, cycling, multisports, active motion and team sports. The most popular and versatile product is the Polar S625x, later released with a new look as the Polar S725x. In September 2006 Polar Electro teamed up with Adidas on "Project Fusion" and introduced the Polar RS800 featuring a new and improved "S3 Stride Sensor" which in addition to heart rate, running speed and distance can monitor running cadence and stride length. In 2007 official partnership between Polar Electro and the International Ski Federation FIS was announced. Polar will provide "athlete specific performance data to the TV audiences in a simple and easy to understand format"[1] during the 2007/2008 season in Cross-country Skiing World Cup and Nordic Combined World Cup. The Polar logo will also be shown in the international TV supply graphics and trackside advertisement.
