Overview
What is Coach AI?
Coach AI is Ergatta’s form analysis feature. It first identifies common errors in your row stroke. Then, it provides recommendations for exercises that can help you improve your form and rowing efficiency.
What’s the benefit?
There’s no such thing as perfect rowing form. The aim of Coach AI is to equip you with information about how you can improve your form. Remember: progress is more important than perfection.
Where can I find Coach AI?
Currently, Coach AI is available on the Ergatta iOS mobile app. The feature is not yet available for Android mobile devices.
How does it work?
Good rowing form follows the same general sequence of motions, broken into four stages: the catch, the drive, the release, and the recovery. For more on these phases, check out our blog post, INTRODUCTION TO ROWING TECHNIQUE. You can also find rowing tips in the Tutorial section on your rower's touchscreen.
Using your phone’s built-in camera, Coach AI tracks the position of certain joints while you row. Then, it compares your rowing form to a model of the four phases listed above.
Your score is an assessment of how closely your row stroke resembles the model row stroke sequence.
What workout should I do when using Coach AI?
You don’t need to do a workout while using Coach AI, but you're welcome to if you'd like.
If you do choose to do a workout, we’d recommend an Echo workout. Echo is a rhythm-based game, so it'll allow you to get into a good, consistent rowing rhythm.
We'd also recommend a shorter workout, as form tends to decline the longer you row. Coach AI only needs 1 minute of video footage to process your results.
Setting Up Your Phone
When you first open Coach AI, you’ll be guided through a tutorial. During this tutorial, you'll be prompted to give the Ergatta app access to your phone's camera. This step is required to access this feature.
Next steps:
Ensure your phone has at least 50% battery life.
Orient your phone in landscape mode.
We recommend using the forward-facing camera (i.e., the side you'd use to take a selfie). It'll be easier to see what's in-frame.
Prop up your phone using a tripod or mount. If you don’t have a tripod or mount, you can prop your phone up against something sturdy, like a stack of books.
The camera frame view should include the entire length of your rower, as well as your entire body, throughout your session. To achieve this, we recommend positioning your phone at least 6 feet away and at the height of your rower’s touchscreen. (Note: your rower’s touchscreen will not need to be in the camera frame.)
Ensure that moving things – people, pets, objects – remain out of the camera frame during your session, as that could disrupt the analysis.
During The Session
How much rowing footage is needed?
Coach AI only needs 1 minute of rowing footage to produce your results.
What if I have to stop for some reason?
Don't worry about errant strokes, errors, or adjustments you need to make mid-session. Coach AI will disregard outliers, so they won't impact your score.
How do I end the session?
Once you've captured at least 1 minute of rowing footage, you can tap the "End Analysis" button on screen to end the session and proceed to your results.
Interpreting Your Results
After you end your session, you'll come to a wrap-up screen to receive your results. Here, you'll see a percentage, a grade (e.g., "Great Form"), the duration of the session, and the number of the strokes taken during the session.
What does the percentage mean?
The percentage is calculated by averaging all of the error percentages under the "Form Issues" list and subtracting that from 1. Lower percentages indicate fewer errors, while greater percentages indicate a greater occurrence of errors.
It's worth noting that the total percentage of "Form Issues" will not necessarily add up to 100%. That's because some of your strokes may not have had any of the form issues we are assessing for.
How do I read the "Form Issues" section?
In this section, you'll see a list of all the common rowing errors Coach AI observed during your session.
The percentage next to each identified form issue indicates the percentages of strokes during the session that had that particular issue. Some strokes may have had more than one issue.
To read more about any given issue, simply tap the arrow. You'll be brought to a page with an explanation of the issue, written steps to correct the issue, and a video tip.
Why do I my results say "0 Strokes"?
If you see “0 Strokes," that means some part of your body was out of frame during the session. To receive your results, you'll need to complete another session.
General Questions
Do I need a membership to use Coach AI?
Yes, an active Ergatta household membership is required for access to Coach AI.
Can I save rowing sessions?
Sessions will not be saved automatically. If you'd like to save your session, we recommend that you do a screen recording on your phone.
How is video footage used?
Coach AI works locally on your phone. We’ll never send any imagery or footage to our servers.
