Beurer PM 100 heart rate monitor looks like a watch

For those who are serious in their fitness training, a heart rate monitor is definitely something they on of the devices at the top of their shopping list, ensuring that these athletes remains within the optimal BPM range in order to maximize the effectiveness of their cardio training or weight loss program. While most of us are familiar with chest-strapped heart rate monitors, these aren’t exactly the most popular devices in the world because short of being uncomfortable to wear, they are also annoying and get in the way as you go about with your fitness regime. Beurer hopes to solve this problem by coming up with a watch-like device in the form of the PM 100.

What makes the Beurer PM 100 different from the rest other than its form factor? Before we continue, let’s take a look at how other companies have approached this matter. Adidas, the sporting apparel giant, did try to build this sensor into a tight training shirt before while NuMetrex has incorporated the heart rate monitor into a sports bra for women, but I still think the watch form factor of the PM 100 is the most convenient. You wear it as half a glove, where it will obtain your heart rate from your index finger by using photoplethysmography.

There’s one snag though - it probably won’t be a fan favorite with those who need to use their hands in a sport, but for the majority of the rest who perform running or other pure cardio exercise will find this to be an extremely comfortable solution. Photoplethysmography is a process that shines a red LED on the surface of your index finger, and measures the reflected light back to a photodiode. The changes in reflective light will be calculated to give you the final reading. The PM 100 also tells you your calorie consumption and acts as a watch, alarm, and stopwatch simultaneously. There is no word on pricing as at press time.

Source: Gizmag