Custom Treadmill Instrumentation

[Kimberley Andersen]

Hi All,

As part of my PhD project I need to instrument the treadmill we have in our lab with force sensors. The treadmill we have is the Woodway Pro XL (http://wwm.woodway.com/performancetr...roseries.html#), which weighing in at a little over 300 kg is a bit of a monster.

We've come up with some preliminary ideas, which I've listed below. What I would like to know is if anyone has any experience with instrumenting a treadmill/ any feedback on the ideas below.

• Mount a force plate under the corner of the treadmill and transform the data from that.
• Mount force transducers under the four corners, similar to a conventional force platform.
• Place a force plate under the belt (may not fit).
• Suspend the treadmill and instrument the rig.
• Build a large force plate and put the treadmill on top of that.

[Toni LaSala]

Re: Custom Treadmill Instrumentation

Hi Kim,
I believe Alena Grabowski has done this. You may want to look at her study … (2010)Metabolic and Biomechanical Effect of Velocity and Weight Support Using a Lower-Body Positive Pressure Device During Walking , Arch Phy Med Rehab Vol 91. Would love to hear your solution.

Toni
PhD Student
Seton Hall University

[Alena Grabowski]

Re: Custom Treadmill Instrumentation

Hi Kim,
We've had luck with a few options for mounting a treadmill on a force plate. I like the solution of a company called treadmetrix. They mount a lightweight (~150 lbs) treadmill on four AMTI force transducers. I've also mounted a treadmill onto a force plate beneath the treadmill frame, but we used a custom-designed treadmill. You'll want a rigid connection to get the best force traces, so I'm not sure what to suggest for your "monster".
Best of luck,
Alena Grabowski
Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Boulder