BSc Thesis: Virtual Rowing

In the concluding half-year of my bachelor study Creative Technology, I challenged myself to a new topic, rowing, with the research question "How can Virtual Reality improve the current state of indoor rowing?". I applied my skills in game development, human-computer interaction, and Virtual Reality in the creation of a prototype which stimulates rowers to use correct rowing technique. My research was awarded a 9.

The system consists of an ergometer with a set of low-cost VR motion tracking devices attached, which record the movement of the user, which is then analysed in real-time. Feedback is given using a Head-Mounted Display (HMD). To improve on the user's immersion, a visually pleasing virtual environment is created, where a virtual representation of the user rows on a river and replicates the user's movement using inverse kinematics.

Extensive user tests were conducted, where 10 subjects used the proposed system, and 10 used traditional methods. The research concludes that the application of VR technology on indoor rowing is promising.