An omnidirectional treadmill environment simulator is disclosed. The omnidirectional treadmill environment simulator includes a circular simulator stage area, a plurality of transport mechanisms that maintain an object at or near the center of a circular simulator stage area and at least one processor. The processor is configured to collect position data of the object and process the position data to control the transport mechanisms. Also included is a receiver for receiving data from a remote location and a terrain analysis computer for processing the data received from the remote location. The terrain analysis computer collects the data received from the remote location to form an accurate simulation of an upcoming condition at the remote location. The omnidirectional treadmill environment simulator includes a transmitter for transmitting the position data to a remote location.

Controlling an exercise machine using a video workout program. In one aspect of the disclosure, a method may include capturing a video, encoding exercise machine control commands into a subtitle stream of the video to create the video workout program, decoding the subtitle stream of the video to access the exercise machine control commands, periodically determining at least that an actual heart rate zone of a user is not equal to a current programmed heart rate zone and that the actual heart rate of the user is not trending toward the current programmed heart rate zone by at least a threshold heart rate trend rate, and in response adaptively scaling the video workout program by adjusting a current difficulty level upward or downward depending on if the actual heart rate zone is lower or higher than the current programmed heart rate zone, respectively.

An apparatus and method concurrently present a plurality of visible tracings or a single continuous visible tracing that overlaps itself, each of the visible tracings being based upon movement taken by a member of an exercise device.

A stationary exercise device comprises pedals mounted via cranks to opposite sides of a drive wheel; a flywheel with a magnetic rim coupled to the drive wheel; a brake with a motor and one or more permanent magnets mounted for movement relative to the magnetic rim; a measuring unit for measuring at least one of the drive force applied via the drive wheel and the related torque; a measuring device for measuring cadence; and a command module. The command module uses measurements from the measuring unit and the measuring device to calculate a performance parameter and compares the performance parameter against a predetermined performance profile. The command module also can control the motor to move the permanent magnets relative to the magnetic rim to adjust the braking force applied and thereby adjust the performance parameter to conform with the performance profile.

Method for operating a bicycle trainer, and such a bicycle trainer comprising a stand with a seat, handlebars and rotatable pedals, or such a bicycle trainer comprising a stand for mounting a bicycle frame with a seat, handlebars and rotatable pedals, wherein the stand incorporates an electronically variable brake acting directly or indirectly on the rotatable pedals with a braking resistance that depends on a computer-controlled predetermined setting, wherein the pre-determined setting is variable and wherein said setting depends on selected parameters to reflect a simulated surface condition of a road.

An exercise device includes a frame and an exercise deck. The exercise deck includes a platform, a first pulley connected to a front portion of the platform, a second pulley connected to a rear portion of the platform, and a tread belt surrounding the first pulley and the second pulley. The exercise device also includes a motor in mechanical communication with at least one of the first pulley and the second pulley to drive the tread belt and an energy efficiency indicator that actives in response to determining that a power load needed to operate the exercise device is below a predetermined energy efficient threshold during a performance of an exercise.

A treadmill includes an exercise deck. The exercise deck includes a platform, a first pulley attached to the platform in a front portion, a second pulley attached to the platform in a second portion, a tread belt surrounding the first pulley and the second pulley, and a pacing mechanism incorporated into the platform.

A treadmill having a running deck comprising a motor arranged to drive movement of a tread belt, a processor, memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions are executable by the processor to determine an anti-phase waveform based on waveform attributes of a noise emitted from the treadmill and to cause a sound of the anti-phase waveform to be emitted into a surrounding environment.

A virtual reality-based exercise device includes a fitness device including a main exercise unit providing a predetermined exercise function to a user, a virtual reality device connected to the fitness device to communicate therewith, and a control unit connected to a server to communicate therewith and controlling the main exercise unit, based on information output from the virtual reality device. The control unit receives score information related to the predetermined exercise function stored in the server and provides the score information to the user through the virtual reality device.

Among other things, a rowing technology includes a first rowing machine having an electromagnetic brake providing a resistance to a rower of the machine in each rowing stroke of a series of rowing strokes of the rower An electronic controller causes the resistance of the electromagnetic brake to vary over each rowing stroke in a profile that emulates resistance to which another rower in a shell on water or on a second rowing machine is subjected in each rowing stroke of a corresponding series of rowing strokes.