The measurement setup for real-time biomechanical analysis of rowing on an ergometer

This paper presents the development and evaluation of the measurement setup for a real-time biomechanical analysis of rowing on an ergometer. The setup consists of a measurement system and a system for data processing. The measurement system consists of a Concept2 rowing ergometer instrumented by force sensors, incremental encoders and an optical system for measuring the kinematics. The measurement data is used as an input to a dynamic model which calculates the rower’s body joint loadings. Real-time data processing and analysis provide real-time feedback on rowing performance and technique to the user. For the evaluation of assessment methodology, five top-level rowers and five non-experts newly introduced to rowing participated in an evaluation experiment. The noticeable distinctions between the measured parameters in the experts and non-experts were measured. The results show that this measurement setup can be successfully used for detailed characterization of rowing technique.

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