Hydrow | Wave Rowing Machine | 2021-2022

Designer: Scott Stropkay, Jason Cooper, Taehak Kwon, Mark Matthews, Dennis Rogers, Peter McNulty, Jonathan Wenderoth, Gerhard Pawelka, Chris Evans, PA Consulting Team, PA Consulting, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Manufacturer: Hydrow Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Following the success of Hydrow’s connected rower in 2020, the company wanted to bring the joys of rowing to even more people. The highly aesthetic connected rower mainly appealed to luxury consumers who could afford the equipment and had the interior space necessary to house it. Hydrow’s founder, Bruce Smith, aimed to create a lower-cost option that centered on function and accessibility to attract wider audiences. Smith turned to our team to create the Hydrow Wave. By introducing an injection-molded glass-filled unibody construction, our team made the Wave lighter, smaller, and cheaper without sacrificing the user experience of the Classic rower.

Design Innovation To improve at-home fitness through full-body workouts, Hydrow Wave made the Hydrow brand even more accessible with a lightweight, portable model at a lower price-point. To do this, we delivered on several key goals:

Reducing the size and weight of the device for standard shipping

Lowering cost through injection-molded glass-filled unibody construction and DIY assembly

Optional stand accessory for vertical storage

Benefit to User

Rowing strengthens the arms, legs, and core. However, it’s inaccessible to many as it requires being near water and having the necessary equipment. Rowing machines fill the gap but are often cumbersome and intimidating, making them best suited for public gyms.

Hydrow Classic brought an elevated connected rowing experience to homes, however it captured just a fraction of the market. For consumers who are on a budget or live in small spaces, the Wave design brings rowing to more people through lower costs, easy shipping, DIY assembly, and the same premium connected outdoor rowing experience as the Classic.

Benefit to Client

The Wave is Hydrow’s second product in the connected rowing category, building brand equity and balancing their product portfolio with high-end and entry-level offerings. The Wave captures a new audience at the introductory end of the market and reaches those with less space to devote to at-home fitness.

Benefit to Society

As rowing is a full-body workout, it improves the fitness levels and wellbeing of people who row. By making rowing accessible to more people through a lower-cost, at- home connected rowing experience, Hydrow opens up the benefits to the masses. In addition, this lighter model reduces the carbon footprint of shipping heavy fitness equipment to its destination.

Aesthetics Our team took inspiration from analogous architecture like bridges, construction materials, and other products with similar attributes like bikes and furniture.

We chose to embrace the functional glass-filled material aesthetic throughout the product. This approach resulted in a design that celebrates structural functionality as a core aesthetic principle for Wave. Lightweight translucent plastic covers provide protection from sweat, dirt, and user interference while being easy-to-clean and allowing users to view every functional aspect of the Wave, including the eddy current brake system that controls the resistance.