Abstract
Treadmills continue to be the most popular and arguably most valuable pieces of aerobic equipment one can purchase. Industries as well as the military are looking for cheaper more versatile equipment for use in the fitness industry, virtual environments, study of human motion, and training for the Armed Forces.Researchers at ASU have designed an omni-directional, revolving conveyer using a sphere-shaped belt. The omni-directional treadmill system can be used in virtual environments such as CAVES. This system could be used in the following applications: conveyors for manufacturing, gaming environments, locomotion simulation, mouse for the feet (input device to a computer), and perceptual studies for psychology.Some competitive advantages are: (1) very simple; (2) passive system or powered by 1, 2, 4 casters; (3) a flat surface is moved in any planar direction and can be rotated; (4) the resistance felt by the user can be modulated with the motors powering the casters; and (5) it is very quiet.
| Original language | English (US) |
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| State | Published - Nov 8 2001 |