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The History Of TreadmillsHistory Of Treadmills The invention of the treadmill happened in 1875. The very first machines were an agricultural machine called "level power" treadmills. They were built in various sizes to accommodate various sized animals. The smaller treadmills were run by dogs and sheep to power attached fanny mills or butter churners. The bigger ones were run by horses to power threshing machines. The First Medical Treadmill In 1952 the first medical machine was invented by UW cardiologist Robert Bruce, called the father of exercise cardiology, along with UW staffer Wayne Quinton. Together, they developed the standard stress test to diagnose and evaluate heart and lung disease. Quinton later sold his interest to Stairmaster, who was subsequently bought by Nautilus. Tunturi The company Tunturi was founded in 1922 as a bicycle repair shop. This company is credited by many people as the starter of the physical fitness equipment business, because of their legendary W1 exercise bike. Based in Finland, today they have the enviable reputation as being one of the leading and best-known manufactures of high class fitness equipment, including exercise bikes, steppers, and rowers. Aerobics, Inc. In the late 1960's Bill Staub noticed that treadmills were very expensive and were used mainly as medical testing machines. Staub, a medical engineer, built an affordable home treadmill. He sent Dr. Cooper a prototype, and he was so impressed, he sold the first few hundred to people that were his referrals. In 1968, Dr. Cooper's company, Aerobics, Inc, began full scale production of PaceMaster. Since then, they have grown from making simple treadmills to making machines that feature computerized electronics and automated controls. NASA The U.S. space program used treadmills onboard Skylab to keep the astronauts in good shape, while they were in a gravity free environment. This first treadmill used in outer space was merely a Teflon-coated plate that allowed the feet to slide as an astronaut ran in place with bungee cord tethers. |
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