Networked Treadmill Deck With Integrated Digital Hardware
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exercise equipment systems lack features that enable users to compete with each other, converse in real-time, and experience gamified exercise activities, limiting user engagement and accessibility of exercise classes.
Innovation Solution
A networked exercise system that includes a treadmill with a deck featuring a continuous track and slats, equipped with motors for adjusting speed and incline, and integrated digital hardware for live streaming, social interaction, and gamification features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If exercise equipment incorporates basic video displays for content presentation, then users can view instructional content during exercise, but the system cannot facilitate real-time user interaction or competition
Solution Approach 1:
The exercise system integrates multiple functions into a single platform: video content delivery, real-time user communication via chat and voice, performance data tracking, and competitive gaming elements. This multi-functional approach enables comprehensive user interaction without requiring separate systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces digital hardware components including cameras, microphones, and network communication modules as intermediaries between users and the exercise content. These intermediaries enable real-time bidirectional communication and data exchange, transforming the system from one-way content delivery to interactive multi-user engagement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If gyms offer live exercise classes with instructors, then users can experience guided exercise activities and social interaction, but these classes are limited to specific times and locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual copies of in-person exercise classes through digital streaming, allowing users to access instructor-led sessions from any location. Multiple users can simultaneously participate in the same class environment, replicating the gym experience remotely and eliminating geographic and scheduling barriers.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides dynamic access to exercise classes through on-demand streaming and live broadcasting capabilities. Users can join classes at different times, access recorded sessions later, or participate in real-time live classes, creating flexible temporal access that adapts to individual user schedules rather than requiring fixed class timings.
3Ease of operation
If exercise systems incorporate networking capabilities for user communication, then real-time interaction and competition become possible, but the system requires multiple digital hardware components
Solution Approach 1:
The system combines multiple digital hardware components including display screens, cameras, microphones, speakers, and network communication modules into an integrated exercise system. This merging approach consolidates what would otherwise be separate devices into a unified platform, reducing the number of individual components users must manage while maintaining comprehensive interactivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system allows for full interactivity among users and instructors, enabling real-time feedback, competition, and gamified experiences, thereby enhancing user engagement and accessibility of exercise classes beyond traditional gym settings.
Implementation Method 1
a first motor configured to modify a speed of rotation of the track
Implementation Method 2
a second motor configured to modify a position of the deck relative to a support surface
Data Source
AI summary
A deck for a treadmill includes a continuous track, and a plurality of slats connected to the track. The track and the plurality of slats at least partly define an inner space of the deck, and are rotatable about the inner space. The deck also includes a first motor configured to modify a speed of rotation of the track, and a second motor configured to modify a position of the deck relative to a support surface on which the deck is supported. The first motor and the second motor are disposed within the inner space.