Development of Kayak Ergometer for Indoor Training

Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop a prototype of kayak ergometer which has a potential to emulate actual on-water paddling resistance. The proposed ergometer equips a powder brake as a source of resistance and the resistance can be controlled according to the voltage signal. Moreover, the developed ergometer has a function of detecting the paddle position to avoid generating resistance when the paddle is out of the imaginary water surface. In the experiment, three kayak athletes performed paddling using the developed ergometer and evaluated generated resistance patterns to provide feedback for improvement. Although the method of generating load should be improved, the experimental results show the developed ergometer is beneficial for kayak paddlers on indoor training.