DIY Treadmill Lets You Walk While You Code
Writing by Greg Intermaggio on Monday, 1 of March , 2010 at 3:05 am
This nifty DIY treadmill work station from 8th Light lets you work out bugs in your code… while you work out. It may not technically be a robot in itself, but it certainly fits in the category of “things robot geeks would be interested in” — it’s a very cool concept, and who doesn’t like a little multitasking?
Basically, what Doug from 8th Light has done is taken a treadmill, removed the control console, and put a desk in its place. With these modifications, he can work on his computer while he walks on his treadmill.
I [sic] few years ago when we were buying furniture for the first 8th Light office I came across a piece called the WalkStation. It was an adjustable height desk with a treadmill underneath. I had just started to get myself into better physical shape, and thought this would be a unique way to change a sedentary job into an active one. The price tag turned out to be way to high ($4500+).
Fast forward to January 30th, 2010. At ORDCamp, Zach Kaplan, founder of Inventables, gave a presentation about Dr. James Levine and the research he’s done creating active computer workstations. It turns out that Dr. Levine is the guy behind the WalkStation that I had seen earlier. Zach had thrown together a treadmill and a laptop desk to try out the concept and was raving about the benefits. It was the motivation that I needed to finally get to building my own treadmill desk.
Nice work, Doug. Here’s to innovative ideas in robotics, design, and exercise equipment! A nicely written build report can be found at the 8th Light blog, linked below.
[ 8th Light ]
Comments (6)
Category: DIY
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Comment by whiskers
Made Monday, 1 of March , 2010 at 7:01 am
What about that hammock in the background, is that for code-architecture naps?
Comment by XV-745
Made Monday, 1 of March , 2010 at 11:03 am
Yeah, my favorite part is the hammock. After all, you’ll definitely need a place to lay down after a 12 hour coding session at this machine…
Comment by Intermaggio
Made Monday, 1 of March , 2010 at 2:58 pm
Conveniently placed so that you can sit right down into it after a good walk & code :)
Comment by Sandy
Made Tuesday, 2 of March , 2010 at 11:03 am
Looking good – but will not work for me – because I get sick if I read or do anything like that while I am on my treadmill.
Comment by michael
Made Sunday, 23 of May , 2010 at 1:02 am
t may not technically be a robot in itself, but it certainly fits in the category,
Comment by Dawn
Made Thursday, 3 of June , 2010 at 3:42 pm
Like poster Sandy I too get sick if I try to read anything while on the treadmill, almost like the type of motion sickness I get if I try to read in a car, bus, etc. I sometimes get dizzy too or have a headache. So no good to me, I’m afraid. :-(
