RowElectric
Electricity Generator

Generating human powered, renewable, and sustainable energy through rowing.

Photograph of a physical rapid prototype of RowElectric, a retrofit product that swaps a rowing machines fan out for an electric generator to produce clean renewable electricity while rowing. Produced by Phoenix Consultants.

Eco Fitness Innovation

RowElectric is a retrofit product that replaces the fan component on a static rowing machine with an electric generator that converts the kinetic energy into usable electrical energy. This can charge a portable battery or feed directly into a circuit in a domestic house or commercial gym; reducing energy costs and the reliance of fossil fuels.

Phoenix Consultants supported the development of this product taking the design through full Product Development.

A CGI CAD render of RowElectric produced by Phoenix Consultants.

How much energy is generated?

The average rower at a steady pace of 2:00mins/500m will be able to produce about 140 watts of usable electrical power. However, a top athlete who can row at a steady 1:40mins/500m will be generating around 250 Watts of usable electrical power. With a bank of these machines in a gym setting or rowing club large amounts of energy can be generated.

Innovate UK Funded Project

Funded by an Innovate UK grant, Phoenix Consultants worked with RowElectric to design and user test this exciting new energy generating exercise machine.

User Centred Design

As part of the full product development, RowElectric underwent extensive user testing with potential users through SUS questionnaires, focus groups, and one-on-one prototype user testing.

Building a high quality, fully functional prototype was essential to conduct this testing.

A CGI CAD render of RowElectric attached to both a RowErg rowing machine and a BikeErg exercise bike produced by Phoenix Consultants.

A selection of hand drawn sketches compiled into a single image that shows the concept design evolution during RowElectric's product development with Phoenix Consultants.

Concept Ideation

Developing a range of concept designs focusing on product aesthetic, early user interface (UI) ideas, and LED light integration.

Sketches are drawn by hand and rendered digitally to provide early stage visualisation. Each concept stage undergoes client driven feedback to reach an agreed design to take forward into 3D CAD development.

3D CAD Development

Developing the design further in CAD to create a 3d model of the product that can be used for rapid prototyping and evaluating the design in a virtual space.

Virtual Prototype

The 3d CAD is used to produce renders of the design with realistic materials, colours, and lighting in a virtual environment to showcase how the product will look.

RowElectric User Testing

RowElectric had its debut showcase at the Gloucester Tall Ships Festival 2024 welcoming visitors to test out this prototype product as part of the user focused product development process.
The high fidelity, fully functional prototypes later went on to be tested with two local gyms: GL52 Fitness and Rustiq Fitness, and then tested with professional rowers at the Gloucester Regatta. Feedback from this testing proved essential for validating and improving the design throughout development.