Rush simulating rowing device
A rowing device having a seat and track arrangement, a handle, and a resistance mechanism, with the seat track being disposed on a carriage. The carriage itself is movable relative to a base of the device and is drivable in a posterior and anterior direction. The device includes a controller operatively connected to a drive mechanism and to a seat position sensor. As the rower exercises, the controller sometimes generates an instruction to move the carriage in an anterior direction when the seat is at or near its posterior extreme position, to thereby simulate a “rush” circumstance as may be encountered on a crewed shell.
1. A rowing device comprising a user seat, a track, a handle, and a resistance generator, said seat sliding on said track between an extreme posterior position and an extreme anterior position, said handle cooperating with said resistance generator to generate resistance as the handle is pulled in a posterior direction, said track being mounted on a carriage, said carriage being disposed on a base and being drivable by a drive mechanism in an anterior direction and a posterior direction relative to said base, the device including a controller operatively coupled to said drive mechanism for causing said carriage to move in an anterior direction to simulate a rush circumstance and to recover in a posterior direction, the velocity of said carriage in said anterior direction in a rush circumstance being relatively greater than the velocity of said carriage in said posterior direction for recovery.
2. The rowing device of claim 1 , the seat having a seat position sensor operatively coupled to said controller, the controller simulating a rush circumstance when the seat position sensor signals that the seat is near the end of a drive phase or near the beginning of a recovery phase.
3. The rowing device of claim 1 , the controller causing a rush simulation on an occasional basis selected from among (1) a time periodic basis; (2) a stroke periodic basis; and (3) an apparently random basis.
4. The rowing device of claim 3 , the controller being coupled to a user interface that permits the user to adjust the basis of the rush simulation.