Validation of a Rowing Oar Angle Measurement System Based on an Inertial Measurement Unit

Abstract

Measuring the horizontal rowing oar angle in an unobtrusive way is an unsolved problem for the rowing community and an interesting field for ubiquitous computing. We present the design and implementation of a new rowing oar angle measurement system that is based on an inertial measurement unit mounted inside the rowing oar and a user interface running on a waterproof smartphone. As well as proving the feasibility, we evaluate the accuracy of our system by comparing its performance with a more obtrusive system which is currently state-of-the-art. The mean deviation of the stroke length measurements between both systems is 1.81%.