Rowing machines are one of those things that many fitness-conscious people want but don't get, due to their high price and large size. The RowBro is designed to address those problems, as it's ultra-compact and should ultimately sell for just US$599.
Designed by a Swiss startup of the same name, the aluminum-bodied RowBro is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. It's roughly the size of a microwave oven, and because it lacks the long steel frame of a traditional rowing machine, it reportedly tips the scales at only 26 lb (12 kg).
Users place the RowBro on the floor in a doorway, then extend and bolt on an included telescoping bar (which doubles as a stand-alone chin-up bar) to brace it within the doorframe. They next attach and extend the RowBro's folding guide rail, set its polyurethane-wheeled seat across that rail, sit down and put their feet on its footpads, then grab its handle and start rowing.
An accompanying iOS/Android app on a Bluetooth-linked mobile device allows users to track their workout time, calories burned, split time and stroke rate. And because the RowBro utilizes an adjustable magnetic resistance system, it is claimed to be relatively quiet when in use.
According to its designers, the relatively soft wheels shouldn't harm most floors. That said, because those wheels are rolling along an actual floor – as opposed to a steel beam, as would be the case on a regular rowing machine – the "ride" will only be as smooth as that floor is.
Assuming the RowBro reaches production, a pledge of €275 (about US$300) will get you one – as mentioned, the planned retail price is $599. It's demonstrated in the video below.
Source: Kickstarter
