OarTracker

Team

Abby Greentree, Braeden Benedict, Brooks Meadowcroft, Joe McGrath, Nick Rasdon

Project Description

One of the more important technical aspects of rowing is the coordination of movements between rowers: feathering, roll ups, and catches should all be in sync. Traditionally, technique analysis has been done visually by a coach, but it can be difficult and expensive to find a coach with enough expertise to extract the maximum performance from a boat. Additionally, it is unlikely that a coach would be able to provide useful feedback to multiple people at once without the use of an external device. While there are commercial devices that help with technique analysis by measuring the forces at the oarlocks, there is a need for low cost device that can be easily added to an existing setup.

Our solution to the above problem is a system that collects data from the oar and transmits the signals to a bluetooth enabled device. The device then processes the data and gives feedback to coaches via an application with a visual representation of the boat as a whole. Smaller and cheaper than other rowing technique analysis implementations, the OarTracker device allows rowers to improve their technique without spending large amounts of money or performing extensive modification to existing boats. Additionally, the OarTracker provides information about timing while other devices tend to focus on the forces present at the oarlock.

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