Rumor: Peloton Rower to have real time form feedback capabilities

One of the most rumored future Peloton devices has been the Peloton Rower. We’ve received some recent reports that not only is the Peloton Rower still in development, but it could also have some unique features that not yet been seen on any other Peloton device yet – real time form feedback while working out.

First, a quick history on the development of the Peloton Rower. Peloton has owned patents related to rowing since 2019 thanks to a manufacturing partner they acquired. Bloomberg also reported in 2019 that Peloton was on track to release their rower in 2020. However, like many things, the 2020 release plans changed, but Bloomberg reported in the fall of 2020 now that Peloton is “also working on a rowing machine, but that is not expected to be announced until later.” A few months ago, in February 2021, a rower was spotted in a Peloton R&D lab. Peloton CEO John Foley has confirmed that new Peloton products will be coming out in the next 12 months – although that release could be a Peloton Strength product.

Now, a recent anonymous report sheds some light on one unique feature the Peloton Rowing Machine might have. The Peloton Rower could include both real-time form feedback, as well as post-class form summary. To enable this, members would be asked to calibrate their rower before use. Once calibrated, rowers would have then have the option to have real-time form feedback alerts during the class. Beyond that, they would also have the option to see a summary of their form once the class was completed.

In rowing, there are two key positions of the stroke – the catch and the release, or finish. The catch is the start of your stroke, when you are closest to the screen. The finish is when you have completed your stroke, are leaning back and have pulled the handle back into your body.

From the report we received, it’s not 100% clear how Peloton plans to implement the form feedback. One option would be through simple measurements. Using two measurements (the amount of rope extended for the handle, as well as where the seat is on the track), Peloton could in theory use that data to know when you weren’t performing a full stroke, or going fully back to the start position and alert you in real time.

Another possible implementation might be possible through a separate device that Peloton is rumored to have in development – the “Peloton Tiger”. A report earlier this year indicated Peloton was developing a device (codenamed Peloton Tiger) similar to the Microsoft Kinect, that would be a video camera that could track and provide feedback on movements. This Peloton Tiger camera appears to be called the Peloton Focus, as a recent survey on Peloton products mentioned it. Peloton could have built this technology & camera into the rower, or be building the rower expecting people might also use the Peloton Focus accessory alongside – and provide the extra feature of form feedback on the rower for people who do use the combination of products.

Whether the rower uses measurements, or a video camera system, form feedback would be a welcome addition to people new to rowing. Form is critical when rowing, and small changes can lead to big increases in performance.

If you missed our previous report, Peloton is also expected to release a new Peloton Heart Rate band in the coming months as well. There are also two potential strength devices Peloton is researching – the Peloton Focus (which appears to be the Peloton Tiger video device mentioned above) & Peloton Platform (a full strength device).


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Chris Lewis
Chris Lewis is the creator & founder of Pelo Buddy. He purchased his Peloton in 2018, and uses all the different devices: Peloton Bike, Tread, Row, and Guide. He has been involved in the fitness industry for more than a decade - previously co-founding the websites Mud Run Guide & Ninja Guide. You can find him on the leaderboard at #PeloBuddy.

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