Electronics in the sport of Rowing

The sport of rowing uses many electronic devices, especially for timing the races (the margin of victory may be in thousands of a second) and for measuring the numbers of strokes per minute, and -- on land -- to measure the effort expended by rowers using an excercise machine called an ergonmeter ("erg" for short). Aboard the boat (called a "shell") a device called a CoxBox controls the shell's loudspeaker system, as well as measures the strokes per minute and provides a timer to assist the coxswain (who steers the boat) in conducting the drills.

The CoxBox was invented by Richard Kellerman and Paul Nielsen who later formed their own company, NK, to manufacture them. To read the oral history interview with Richard Kellerman and