If you are a professional swimmer or simply interested in water sports, you must have heard of FINIS. The company is a leader in technical swimming development and has released a unique bone conducting underwater MP3 player that literally uses bone conduction to vibrate sound directly into your head.

Now, using the same patented technology and also Infrared, FINIS has created the AquaPulse Heart Rate Monitor, a small workout accessory built exclusively for swimmers. The device will be available starting with May 2009 at specialized retailers world wide and on FINIS' website for approximately $140.

AquaPulse straps to one's goggles and rests on the temple bone. Using an accurate infrared sensor clipped to the earlobe, the device measures the light pulses from the capillary blood flow in the skin and then calculates the number of beats per minute. This is where the internal computer intervenes, communicating the heart rate audibly to the swimmer through Bone Conduction Technology.

This technique is unique because humans normally hear through air conduction, but this is not possible underwater. So, bone conduction provides the clearest sound possible, by communicating sound vibration through the temple bone directly into the inner ear.

Thus, by simply turning it on, the AquaPulse Monitor communicates the heart rate at every pre-set time period that can vary from 20 seconds to 5 minutes. It can also be easily accessed anytime by pressing a button.

"Current heart rate monitors are meant for running and dryland training, but are quite awkward for training in the water as athletes are hindered by awkward straps and watches. We created the new FINIS AquaPulse heart rate monitor specifically for swimmers so they could continually swim and understand their heart rate without stopping and train in their proper 'heart-rate zone' more accurately. Our heart rate monitor features a water proof design that changes both how the heart rate is sensed and transmitted to the user," says John Mix, President of FINIS.

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