Various projects variously associated with rowing have gone on in the lab:
One rowing project in the lab is the re-design and construction of a rowing-like machine which is intended to break the documented record for short-term human power output. Jason Cortell (jbc2@cornell.edu) is a recent graduate student whoworked on this project. He was also helped by Tony den Hoed, an REU Student in Summer 1996. The current record of 2 HP over six seconds was set in 1970 by J. Y. Harrison in Sydney, Australia. A key idea in this design is that maximizing power output depends on minimizing eccentric muscle contraction (wasted energy). A large flywheel and contstrained- back motion minimize negative work.
Another ongoing project is the modification of a CII ergometer to better simulate the feel of a rowing boat. A previous cruder version of this concept, the putting of wheels under the machine, turned into a product that was modified by CII and is now for sale.
Other rowing projects have included simulations of rowers in racing shells,
the design and construction of a dynamic keel, and the improvement of traditional
oar designs.
Return to the Human Power Lab homepage.