What is the problem/issue being addressed?
We’re currently living in the golden age of sports technology. There’s more and more data available to analyze sports performance, and technique. Many sports, such as running and cycling, are ahead of rowing in terms of the availability of different types of gadgets you can buy and the numbers of metrics you can track. Rowers and coaches have traditionally had limited choices for measuring rowing technique. There was the expensive and time-consuming option to hire an expert running complex wired equipment. However, this option came with the hurdle of having to make sense of all the data only after downloading it once off the water. Additionally, the data wasn’t digitally shared with the rower, making it difficult to track changes in performance. Earlier only the world’s elite rowers could afford the expensive measurements and the vast majority of the active rowers in the world never had their technique measured. There are tens of millions of people rowing on indoor rowing machines in gyms worldwide, most of them with defective technique, moving back and forth on the machine without coordination. Rowing wrong not only feels uncomfortable, but can also be dangerous, many studies prove that lower back and rib injuries are quite common among rowers.
Enter Quiske
The Quiske system comprises of a sensor, a so-called pod, a phone app, advanced algorithms, and a cloud service for data storage and analysis. The system is suitable for all rowers, elite rowers as well as for beginners and for club coaches. Additionally, the system allows rowers to coach themselves, is easy to install, gives instant feedback, and includes innovative cloud analytics providing facts for discussion. Instant feedback allows constantly making small adjustments to learn faster, and the effortless measurement enables systematic tracking.
The Quiske system consists of
• kinetic sensor(s), so called pod(s), placed on the oar and/or the seat
• the Quiske RowP App, a phone application measuring and analyzing acceleration of the boat or indoor rower handle
• a cloud service to store, to analyze and to allow comparison of technique within rowers in a crew
Indoors the Quiske RowP App comes with a Virtual Coach, developed during the Horizon 2020 project, which gives instant feedback on rhythm and timing, allowing anyone to get a hang of the right coordination. The Virtual Coach brings much needed focus not only on power but also on technique. Rowing requires perfect coordination which is easily practiced indoors. Instant feedback on rhythm and timing allows anyone to strive for the right coordination, which makes rowing more efficient and healthier for the body.
The analyzed data is and remains the property of the rowers, and even when they change coaches or clubs they can show their history in technique through the cloud service. Rowers can share/unshare their data for analysis to any number of coaches, enabling also remote coaching. This also opens up new business opportunities for professional coaches around the world, allowing coaches be a more shared resource among a larger number of rowers. The metrics can also act as a kind of translator between older experienced coaches with their wealth of silent knowledge and younger rowers accustomed to measuring themselves and having data to back up claims and prove progress. The metrics can corroborate the statements by the coach, the measured facts can act as a bridge of understanding between the coach and the rower.
Getting the hang of the correct coordination and rhythm can make rowing feel like dancing. The Quiske App, pod, and cloud modernize and democratize the sport of rowing due to superior feedback, analytics and virtual coaching which can be afforded even by leisure indoor rowers.
The uniqueness and beauty of Quiske RowP system is that it works in all boats and technically all indoor rowing machines. Globally there are 3-4 major indoor brands and huge number of smaller ones. Variation between markets is big, and new indoor rowers are still introduced. Indoor rowing machine has typically built-in monitor which measures power and speed. Quiske app brings additional value by providing instant feedback about rower’s technique.
Why is it important for society?
Society as we know it is growing older and is struggling with various new health issues that are brought by lack of exercise and too much weight. Indoor rowing is the most efficient sport which almost anyone no matter age, gender, weight or fitness can do. Indoor rowing comes with valuable health benefits that anyone can gain. It allows you to improve your body composition and to keep muscle as you grow older. The sport is very low impact (compare to e.g. running) but gives high results. It allows you to really challenge yourself and thereby can also improve your mental health. Indoor rowing is a cardiovascular exercise which can reduce your risk for heart disease. When done correctly rowing is safe, but you do need a coach.
Indoor rowing has recently been growing in popularity and there are tens of millions of indoor rowing machines all around the world. Almost every gym has at least one or two rowing machines. However, we estimate that >95% of gym rowers don’t know how to row properly and are therefore not getting the full benefits of it. This is where Quiske can help. The Quiske Virtual Coach democratizes the playing field by giving anyone a coach who pays attention to your every rowing stroke and encourages you to go on.
Additionally, Quiske invites you become part of a community of rowers, to spur you on and to share your progress with.
What are the overall objectives?
The objectives of the Horizon 2020 project were to
1. create a plan for how to roll out the system globally
2. to create a high-volume product to help people learn indoor rowing, and
3. to gather customer feedback regarding our pilot product and to get validation of feasibility.
The project succeeded in all of these three targets even though some changes were made to the actual product. The project resulted in an updated business idea, negotiations with 3 potential new vendors, collaboration with other companies in SportsTech as well as in a new version of the product, updated based on direct customer feedback. We also managed to launch a beta release of an iOS version of the App, with very active beta testers from around the world.
