Ergatta Teaches You How To Row With AI Coaching
In-home rowing joins the growing fraternity of exercise modalities to receive an upgrade by way of artificial intelligence
While jogging or spin classes may still run the show in terms of popularity among cardio exercises, in-home rowing may be on the rise. Ergatta is brightening the workout’s spotlight even further with its latest product launch.
The home fitness brand launched its “Coach AI” software, which promises to make in-home rowing more accessible, enjoyable and effective for its customers. Coach AI uses computer vision to observe and evaluate a user’s rowing form, make personalized assessments and recommendations. It figures to serve as a key combatant against the lack of accessible education on proper rowing form, which, according to some, has held the exercise modality back for years.
“Rowing is the best form of indoor cardio, besides maybe swimming,” said Tom Aulet, co-founder and CEO of Ergatta. “The problem is, no matter how good you get, most people still wind up thinking, ‘Am I doing this right?’ Coach AI not only solves that problem with simplicity and elegance, it does so in the Ergatta way: by turning a mundane task into an engaging challenge. With Coach AI’s help, we hope rowing will one day be as intuitive and accessible as running.”
Personalized Coaching
Coach AI is accessible through the Egretta mobile companion app. It observes your workout through your smartphone’s camera, tracking the movement of your hands, elbows, shoulders, back, hips and knees. Being trained on thousands of proper and improper rowing techniques, the software appears well-equipped to assist any in-home rower at any level.
After the workout, users receive a score out of 100 based on their ability to avoid the six major rowing mistakes. They then receive a comprehensive breakdown where Coach AI explains the specifics of their scores and offers tips on how to improve.
For this beta launch, Coach AI is only available on iOS devices, but Android is likely on the way in 2024, per Ergatta. The Brooklyn-based company sells two rowers: its flagship Ergatta Rower and a recently released Lite version. The Lite rower, which Ergatta launched in November, coincides with the company’s push to make rowing more accessible to the masses. It comes at a lower price and is easier to store, making it an ideal purchase for the more casual in-home rower.
Tech-Forward Fitness
Ergatta’s emphasis on taking in-home workouts and amplifying them via technology and gamification has allowed the company to become a key player in remote fitness’ rise over the past several years. The company is a leader in game-based fitness, motivating its users to row with thousands of workout programs that play off a user’s competitive spirit.
Earlier this year, Ergatta also reached an agreement with Apple to connect Apple Watches with its rowers. Doing so made heart rate, calorie, and other forms of real-time tracking more accessible for those using either rowing machine.