Polar Starts to license its algorithms

Polar, a Finnish company specializing in sports and fitness wearable technology, has recently announced it will begin licensing its algorithms related to heart rate analysis and training guidance. The algorithms, developed over decades of research and data collected from millions of users, will be made available to other companies in the fitness and sports industries. The licensing move is seen as a way for Polar to expand its reach and tap into new markets while also generating additional revenue. Companies that license the algorithms will have access to proprietary technology and methods that can help them improve their products and enhance their offerings to customers.

This is a significant development in the fitness technology space and Polar has the potential to corner the entire market for sports/fitness algorithms outside of Garmin and Apple.

More: Polar Algorithms

More Detail (and via): dcrainmaker.com

Thoughts

Modern sports watches need physiology-based metrics to give them a competitive edge in the eyes of a customer. To achieve that, a few companies have licenced algorithms from Firstbeat/Garmin and others created their own. Each approach has its own drawbacks.

The licencing approach often requires companies to report watch sales to Garmin.

Going it alone seems superficially attractive as the algorithms or methods, on the whole, are relatively straightforward and easily obtained. However implementing an algorithm, validating and then convincing the likes of you and me that there is a science to back it all up is another matter entirely. Polar already has all of that covered.

Let’s face it if you had to trust ANY sports/fitness algorithm from Polar Oy or Random Startup Pty, who would you go for?

I can’t see this being any sort of game-changer for Polar’s strategy with its watches. They still will face the same obstacles and opportunities regardless. But it will be a nice little revenue earner if done right.