Pulse Oximeter Used by German Car Manufacturers

The car industry has been struggling over the past few years. The great recession took its toll on every aspect of the market, and auto manufacturers were not immune. Even though the market was rough, car companies knew that they must continue to advance their research and development. The reasoning for this was simple. Once the market was to rebound, the car companies that continued to improve their products would gain the most profits. Even the big name manufacturers knew that the old name recognition days were not going to be the same. People in the new market will look for not only precision, but also value. Korean car companies have utilized this notion for years now, and after years of struggle are not starting to really stand out. One just has to walk up and down their street and see how many more Korean cars there are in their neighbors’ driveways. German car companies did not slack in this notion as well. They did drop their prices some by decreasing the number standard features, but that is not a bad thing since customers are not forced to buy options they might not want. German car companies are started to use new tools while testing their cars.

One new tool or device that they starting using is a pulse oximeter. A pulse oximeter, also known as a pulse ox by some medical professionals, is a medical device used to measure the blood oxygen saturation and pulse rate of an individual. German car companies were not necessary interested in the blood oxygen saturation levels of their test drivers, but more in their heart rates. When vehicles were tested through various obstacles on test tracks, German car companies wanted to keep track of heart rates. They had determined that the test drivers’ heart rates could be correlated to their driving experience on the track.