Draft:EXR (app)

EXR allows users to train on their rowing machines while navigating through virtual worlds with an avatar.{{cite web |title=EXR - SportsCube Brugge |url=https://www.sport.vlaanderen/onze-centra/brugge/aanbod/verhuur/sportscube/exr/ |website=Sport Vlaanderen |access-date=2025-05-14 |language=nl}} Users may follow structured training plans or participate in organized group rows and races within EXR’s virtual environments, featuring gamification elements to enhance engagement and motivation.

EXR uses the Fitness Machine Service (FTMS) Bluetooth protocol, introducing a novel approach to connectivity that enables compatibility with a wide range of rowing machines. This allows the app to collect performance data such as stroke rate, power output, and other real-time metrics, including speed and split times, regardless of the specific make or model of the rowing machine being used. The app supports rowing machines with built-in power sensors for accurate stroke tracking and adaptive performance feedback, enhancing immersion. For rowing machines without native power output, EXR estimates data using model-specific profiles.

EXR is available on multiple platforms, including iOS, tvOS, macOS, Android, and Windows.

There are four virtual environments, or maps, in EXR. The first was originally called Lake EXR and featured a fictitious lake in the boreal mountains. In 2025, it was renamed EXR World following the addition of new biomes with oxbow lakes. Subsequent updates introduced digital recreations of real-world regatta venues, incorporating fictionalized elements. These include:

• Henley-on-Thames, the venue of the Henley Royal Regatta.
• Boston, where the Head of the Charles Regatta is held.
• Lake Bled, a frequent venue for the World Rowing Championships.

In June 2023, EXR was featured as the indoor rowing platform during the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in Singapore, an event organized by the International Olympic Committee to explore the intersection of competitive gaming and sport, signaling a shift towards digital innovation in rowing and its integration into interactive fitness environments.{{cite web |title=Olympic Esports Week: Indoor Rowing |url=https://row-360.com/olympic-esports-week/ |website=Row360 |access-date=2025-05-14}} Through its participation in the event, EXR reflected the growing presence of indoor rowing within exergaming, which has traditionally been dominated by sports such as virtual cycling with Zwift. This event marks the first time a Belgian sports application has been featured on an international platform of this scale.{{cite web |title=Belgische start-up brengt ‘Zwift voor roeien’ naar Olympische Spelen voor eSports |url=https://pragalicious.com/2023/09/28/belgische-start-up-brengt-zwift-voor-roeien-naar-olympische-spelen-voor-esports/ |website=Pragalicious |date=2023-09-28 |access-date=2025-05-14 |language=nl}}

In collaboration with World Rowing and Concept2, a limited edition of the EXR app was presented at the Team Japan House during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and Japan Sports Day 2024.{{cite web |title=An immersive experience at the Team Japan House |url=https://www.francsjeux.com/en/short/une-experience-immersive-a-la-team-japan-house/ |website=FrancsJeux |access-date=2025-05-14}} This special edition featured the Sea Forest Waterway, the rowing venue of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, for the [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Sport_Council Japan Sport Council] to promote indoor rowing as a sustainable tool for fitness and well-being.{{cite web |title=World Rowing unveils indoor activation at Team Japan House |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1148787/world-rowing-japan-indoor-activation |website=Inside the Games |access-date=2025-05-14}}

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