I am sure you have heard the expression: Necessity is the mother of invention. The treadmill was no different than a plethora of other inventions that have shaped our world, and our way of life. The treadmill was invented in 1875 and were actually first used in the agricultural industry; they were called “level power” treadmills. They were built in all sorts of shapes and sized in order to fit on different types of animals. Surprisingly, some of the smaller treadmills were operated by dogs and sheep and were attached to mills or butter churners. Horses ran bigger treadmills that powered the threshing machines.

Now jump ahead to the year 1952 and you will see the advent of the first treadmill used for medical purposes. Robert Bruce, a UW cardiologist and often called the father of cardiology, invented this new application of the treadmill along with his associate Wayne Quinton. They gave the standard treadmill the additional ability to diagnose and evaluate heart and lung disease. The rights to the technology were sold to Stairmaster, who then later sold it to Nautilus.

The fitness industry saw the need for a more consumer-oriented treadmill, one that was smoother and easier to operate. Several companies tried their best to make the most amazing treadmill around. Here are some examples:

Tunturi, founded in 1922 as a bicycle repair shop, practically started the fitness equipment industry in the 1960’s with their W1 exercise bike. The Finish company still has a great reputation for being a manufacturer of high class fitness products. They sell exercise bikes, treadmills, steppers and rowers.

In the 1960’s a man by the name of Bill Staub recognized that all the treadmills on the market were expensive and were mainly used as medical testing machines. He set out to make cheap treadmills for the masses. He sent a prototype to his friend Dr. Ken Cooper and he was so impressed that he created a few hundred sales from referrals alone. Aerobics Inc. began a full-scale production of treadmills under the PaceMaster brand. Since then they have gone onto creating a cheap treadmill that has computerized electronics and fully automatic controls.

Woodway began in 1974 when a technical director in charge of planning a fitness center noticed the treadmill was not very mechanically optimal. He wanted to create a surface that was softer and did not hurt the joints of the user. His machine was named after the German term “walk weg” or “way of the woods”. This term refers to the feeling of running on a soft pine needle-covered path in the forest. Woodway USA is now the main manufacturer of Woodway Treadmills all over the world.

NASA saw the opportunity to use treadmills for cheap in Skylab. The first model was simply a Teflon-coated plate that would allow feet to slide as an astronaut ran in place with bungee cords holding him/her in place.

Founded in 1978, Trackmaster was a pioneer of quality treadmills. They are known as setting the quality benchmark by building tough and durable treadmills. They are mainly used in fitness institutions

Star Trac is known for paring computer technology with treadmills. They invented the first treadmill that was able to send and receive data from a Palm handheld. This paved the way for custom-made workout plans. Users could even download professional workouts from the Star Trac website that were specifically tailored to the individual.