Description

New treadmill adjusts user’s pace

For the first time, a self-pacing treadmill can now speed up and slow down to match the pace of its user, thanks to a team of scientists at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
 
The technological breakthrough not only opens up a whole new range of opportunities in recovery and rehabilitation, but eliminates the danger of current treadmills throwing runners who misstep or fail to keep pace. Some 24,000 go to the emergency room each year with treadmill related injuries.
 
The UNO team combined sensors with a complex, biomechanical analysis of the runner’s gait to build a treadmill that starts and stops when the user starts and stops—and all points between, whether that’s slowing from a jog to a walk, or speeding up from a walk to a sprint. The user maintains total control of the pace, without any need to interact with a console.
 
To discuss licensing opportunities contact Joe Runge, J.D., M.S., at hrunge@unmc.edu or 402-559-1181.