Treadmill Belt Motion Tracking for Symmetry Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Runners and athletes lack a user-friendly method to accurately monitor and track their physical movement techniques, which can lead to missed opportunities for performance improvement and undetected injuries due to asymmetries in stride variables such as cadence, push-off force, landing force, contact time, and flight time.
Innovation Solution
A monitoring system comprising a device attached to exercise equipment like treadmills, utilizing rotational and vertical tracking devices with gyroscopes, accelerometers, and optical trackers to collect data on stride variations, which is then analyzed to provide real-time feedback and symmetry indices, helping users identify potential injuries and improve technique.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If comprehensive tracking of multiple stride variables is implemented, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple tracking functions (cadence, push-off force, landing force, contact time, flight time) into a single integrated monitoring device attached to the treadmill. This merging approach maintains high measurement precision across all variables while reducing overall system complexity compared to using separate devices for each measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring device is designed as a multi-functional system that simultaneously tracks multiple stride variables using various sensors (gyroscopes, accelerometers, optical trackers). This universal device performs what would otherwise require multiple specialized instruments, improving measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Reliability
If real-time feedback system is implemented, then injury detection capability is improved, but loss of time in data processing increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes symmetry indices and injury detection thresholds before exercise sessions begin. During exercise, the device continuously compares real-time stride variable measurements against these pre-set criteria, enabling rapid injury detection without requiring complex real-time analysis. This preliminary preparation maintains high reliability while minimizing data processing time during actual exercise.
Solution Approach 2:
The monitoring system provides real-time feedback by continuously analyzing stride variables and immediately alerting users to asymmetries or potential injuries. The feedback mechanism uses streamlined processing algorithms that maintain high detection reliability while minimizing delay, ensuring users receive timely warnings without significant data processing delays.
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 effectively tracks and analyzes physical activity data to detect asymmetries and potential injuries, enabling users to adjust their techniques and prevent injuries while improving performance by providing detailed statistics and real-time feedback.
Implementation Method 1
a vertical motion device (e.g., a g accelerometer) that determines a vertical motion of the belt
Implementation Method 2
utilizing rotational and vertical tracking devices with gyroscopes, accelerometers, and optical trackers
Data Source
AI summary
In a system and method for monitoring movement, a movement monitoring device is configured to engage with a rotating belt of a treadmill. The movement monitoring device includes a rotational tracking device to measure rotational motion of the belt and send the rotational motion measurement to a computing device, and a vertical tracking device to measure vertical motion of the belt and to send a vertical motion measurement to the computing device. The system further includes a computing device for receiving the rotational motion measurement and the vertical motion measurement and to generate a Symmetry Index for the user on the rotating belt of the treadmill, the Symmetry Index being a comparison of more than one measure of symmetry for a first leg and a second leg of the user derived from the rotational motion measurement and the vertical motion measurement.