Sonar treadmill senses runners needs

The automated treadmill uses sonar to tell exactly where the runner is on the treadmill. The sonar is set up behind the treadmill and aimed at the runner’s back, just between the shoulder blades.

When the runner is in the middle of the running belt (measured from front to back), the speed of the treadmill stays the same. If the sonar senses that the runner is moving farther away, that means the runner is picking up speed and the sonar microcontroller sends a signal to the treadmill to speed up the belt in varying increments of speed. The speed increases until the runner returns to the middle of the belt.

“If you’re running outside and you want to speed up or slow down, there is no button to push. It is the same with this new automated treadmill,” said Steven T. Devor, associate professor of kinesiology at The Ohio State University.