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This is just the strap, probably something like http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/products/accessories/WearLink_Strap . I'm betting all this device is going to be used for is being able to put a hard number on the grade for the day. "jimmy i see you kept your heart rate above the target for 10 minutes today, you needed 15 minutes to get an A, so you get a B." Something like that. Most heart monitors these days have a watch like computer and a strap with a detachable transmitter. It would seem that this a good thing for the school to have each student acquire, for health reasons. I wonder about who/how they will be fitted on the female students as the transmitters need to rest on the sternum, just below the bust. In my Wife's case that is just under the bottom edge of her sports bra. Any ways, the strap i linked is $18US, I'm assumming the school is handling the actual order and shipping , and in that case it may be less than that. Also before someone jumps on it, I would also hope that the school is providing one to those students that could not afford it.

If only this is what a capability of the heart rate, it could make sense. You are thinking something like an EKG/EEG. A heart rate monitor that they are most likely referring to would be something like one sold by http://www.polarusa.com/us-en/ where the basic model just tells you your current heart rate. Nothing about detecting rhythm, etc. Its just how many beats/minute your heart is pumping.

What turned me on to regular, healthful exercise was to have the right gadget. I worked for an outfit that makes consumer-grade heart rate monitors, so I got to keep one for myself while I wrote out the documentation.

I was very impressed with this gadget. It did wonders for getting me off my duff and tracking my exercise.

Seriously. It's the toys, guys. Having a little bleeping widget on my wrist made a huge difference.

So, even though I don't work for them any more, I'll totally shill for the Polar F11 HRM. It figured out an appropriate exercise schedule for me, it monitors the intensity of my workouts to keep me on target, and it tracks my progress over months. It's geared toward cardio, so it really excels at aerobic stuff like cross-country simulators and standing bikes. The pounds just melt away, though, and I'm toning up nicely.

If you're interested in getting one, I recommend going to your local gym to see if they have a partnership with Polar, because the personal trainers there will help you learn how to use the thing to maximum effectiveness. The thing is pretty simple to use anyway, though.

Okay. Done.

I understand your point about using simple techniques to achieve the same monitoring results. I find though that a well designed, data-packed tool like Polar
provide a great way to track personal improvement over time. If google can consume output from devices like this, I would consider using google services. I've used this device for 4 years and built up a significant dataset on my fitness performance. Reviewing this with a professional may provide ways to improve my workouts.

I realize this is targeted at a wide consumer audience, but it would be really cool to see some high-end versions of this for more serious athletes. I would love to see this merged with the kinds of functions the really good fitness computers have.

Here's a sampling of such products:

Nike's Triax Elite running watch is one of the items on this page
http://www.nike.com/nikerunning/usa/home.jhtml?ref =global_home#equipment

Polar's S625X Running watch with S1 foot pod
http://www.polarusa.com/consumer/runtri/model/S625 x.asp

and perhaps coolest of all, Suunto's T6
http://www.suunto.com/dyn/t6

Nike has the right idea with the foot sensor. All the devices listed above use a similar sort of accelerometer to measure a runner's speed and distance. This Nike+ thing is way cheaper though, which makes me think they're cutting corners. Or they're pricing it extra low to move a lot of them. Hopefully it's the latter.

What Nike+ is missing, that those other products have, is a heart rate monitor. It's a no-brainer. All they'd need to add is the capability to receive data from the heart rate straps Nike already makes. While speed and distance give you performance, heart rate gives you a great indicator of effort. Once you have both performance and effort, you can divide the one by the other and get your fitness level. Then each time you sync your ipod, you get your new songs, update your podcasts, and see an updated graph of your fitness level rising over the last few weeks.

On top of that, the ipod nano could easily record every single heartbeat, which is the sort of thing only the extra-high-end monitors (the S625X and T6) can do. With detailed timing information like that, they've been able to do some other nifty things. Suunto computes an estimate for "EPOC" (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). Using this, their software can offer advice on how hard your workout should be, and prevent you from overtraining.

Imagine a consumer product that puts this kind of advanced information in the hands of the casual athlete and makes it simple to use. With this equipment, you're already packing enough computing power to record and store the information. Why not use it?

My Polar S725i Heart Rate Monitor has to be one of the more impressive feats of wristwatch geek engineering ever invented. It records heart rate, temperature, and altitude right out of the package, as well as cycle speed, cadence, and power with optional wireless or wired sensors. All of the captured data can be downloaded to a PC using the built-in IR port and analyzed/graphed using Polar's own software or other publicly-available packages.

One is not forced use the HRM or cycling functions to utilize the watch's other sensors. I once used the watch on a vacation trip around Colorado. When I got back home I was able to download the sensor readings into Polar's software and better visualize the elevation changes I had experienced during my trip.

A word of note: this watch is huge. I bought a runner's version of the same watch for my wife and it looks very out of place on her dainty wrist. A fashion statement it is not, but I've been surprised at the number of comments I've received about it (mostly from people who own HRMs of their own.)

My Polar S725i Heart Rate Monitor has to be one of the more impressive feats of wristwatch geek engineering ever invented. It records heart rate, temperature, and altitude right out of the package, as well as cycle speed, cadence, and power with optional wireless or wired sensors. All of the captured data can be downloaded to a PC using the built-in IR port and analyzed/graphed using Polar's own software or other publicly-available packages.

One is not forced use the HRM or cycling functions to utilize the watch's other sensors. I once used the watch on a vacation trip around Colorado. When I got back home I was able to download the sensor readings into Polar's software and better visualize the elevation changes I had experienced during my trip.

A word of note: this watch is huge. I bought a runner's version of the same watch for my wife and it looks very out of place on her dainty wrist. A fashion statement it is not, but I've been surprised at the number of comments I've received about it (mostly from people who own HRMs of their own.)

I'm surprised there wasn't something similar enough already

There was, and still is. An example. The only difference is that you don't need a separate cellphone.

This article is just another slashvertisement.

Even if he can't, I'll bet money that Lance Armstrong or a similarly well-conditioned pro cyclist can hold this thing off the ground easily.

"Data from several researchers shows that professional cyclists produce power outputs of between 320 and 450 watts during time trials ranging from 5 to 70 km in major tours."

"Dr. Alejandro Lucia, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spain, has predicted that Lance Armstrong on his ascent of the Alpe D¹Huez (a 14 km climb of 8% mean gradient) in the 2001 Tour de France produced one of the greatest performances in the history of cycling: 38 minutes of near-maximal to maximal effort at an estimated mean power output as high as 475-500 watts! His average speed was 22 kilometers/hour, which he reached at a mean cadence of about 100-rpm using a 39 x 23 gear. Lance would have been averaging about 7 watts/kg."

http://www.employees.org/~bozceri/training

and the link to the Polar heart rate monitor data download project:

http://daveb.net/s710/

You can get a safe (no pennies attached to a wire) useful (no need to attach yourself to big devices) heart rate monitor like Polar for 70$ so why would you want an EKG setup?