Delaying laminar–turbulent transition in boundary layers is of great interest since the skin-friction coefficient can be reduced by up to one order of magnitude. In this experimental research, it is shown that counter-rotating cylindrical roughness elements are able to delay transition under realistic flow conditions. Evidence is given by the intermittency, evaluated from hot-film measurements in a laminar water channel. An increase in rotation speed results in a delay of transition of up to $${6.5}{\%}$$ 6.5 % in the center of the plate. This trend can be explained by the streaks amplified by the rotating cylinders, resulting in a damping of the fluctuation amplitude in the boundary layer. The advantage of this method is that the transition delay can be actively controlled with conventional cylindrical roughness elements. Graphical abstract