Treadmill protective cover and methods of use are disclosed herein. An example system includes a protective cover for a treadmill, a sensor associated with the treadmill or the protective cover, the sensor detecting when an object is near or within an entrapping area between the protective cover and a conveyor of the treadmill, and a controller configured to receive signals from the sensor, the controller allowing the conveyor to freely operate when no objects are sensed within the entrapping area and stopping the conveyor when an object is sensed within the entrapping area.

Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems, apparatuses, and methods for exercising and entertaining a pet. In one implementation, a pet exercise and entertainment device includes a launch funnel for launching projectiles for a pet to retrieve. The launch funnel has a feeder and a chute. The feeder is configured to receive a projectile and transport the projectile to an intake end of the chute. A sensor is configured to sense the projectile in the intake end of the chute and to command one or more motors to power up in response to sensing the projectile. An actuator is configured to release the projectile from the intake end of the chute into the launch end of the chute after a pre-determined time has elapsed. One or more wheels, rotated by the one or more motors, are configured to launch the projectile from the launch end of the chute.

An exercise machine (100) used to perform physical activity includes at least one control device (1) which can be actuated by the user to impart a command to the exercise machine (100). The exercise machine (100) includes at least one lighting device (2), the at least one lighting device (2) being positioned on the exercise machine (100) so as to identify the at least one control device (1) with which the exercise machine (100) is provided when the at least one lighting device (2) is lit.

The present invention relates to a device and a method associated with the device. With respect to the device, it is a set of game equipment, which is used to play an interactive athletic game. This device can be used to allow two teams of players to compete with the intent to score more points than the opposing team.

The core components of the invention are a ball and blocks, which, generally speaking, are configured as follows: cone-like blocks that can be assembled at the narrow ends and stacked into one column and a cushioned ball for throwing and striking.

With respect to the associated method, in order to carry out the method the following core steps are followed: begin the game by stacking all the blocks, then the offensive team will attempt to knock down the blocks and reassemble them.

Meanwhile, the opposing team attempts to eliminate the opposing team players by striking them with the ball. Ultimately, at the conclusion of these steps, if the offensive team is successful in stacking the blocks before the opposing team eliminates the members, they have scored a point.

Disclosed are implementations of a sensor enabled exercise slider configured to detect movement and applied force. A sensor enabled exercise slider is a limb-actuated, linearly and circularly moveable, apparatus configured to facilitate a variety of exercises. An example limb-actuated exercise slider comprises: a housing that is smoothly slidable across a contacted surface in contact with an undersurface of the housing; and an electronic circuit carried by the housing. The electronic circuit is configured to detect movement of the housing and to detect force applied to a top surface of the housing. In some implementations, the undersurface in contact with the contacted surface has a friction coefficient permitting the sliding.

The present invention is disclosing a performance improvement system comprising a smart athletic flexible accessory and an electronic device communicably coupled with smart athletic flexible accessory. Smart athletic flexible accessory comprises a plurality of fabric sensors configured to measure data associated with a physical activity performed by a user and a first transceiver configured to transmit measured data. Electronic device comprises a second transceiver configured to receive measured data from smart athletic flexible accessory, and a microprocessor. Microprocessor is configured to analyze received data from receiver, generate a recommendation based on analyzed data, and cause a display screen to display generated recommendation.

An amusement system features an interactive floor with an array of panels laid out in one or more grids to collectively define an interactive floor surface, an illumination system operable to individually illuminate each panel, and a sensing system operable to detect presence of any participant atop any panel. A base frame of the interactive floor is composed of a plurality of base modules seated on a subfloor, and supporting a respective panel for one or more cells of the interactive floor. The base modules are not directly fastened together, and instead are only intercoupled by perimeter seals applied over peripheral regions of the panels of neighbouring modules. Separation of the modules is constrained by surrounding walls of a room fully occupied by the interactive floor. In gameplay, some panels are distinctively illuminated as hazards to be avoided by participants, subject to penalty.

A sports and performance media positional detection system, comprising: at least two elements, with at least one element involved in the sporting activity; a power source; and machine-to-machine communication, which are collectively arranged such that if any two or more elements interact, their electromagnetic properties can be detected thus allowing the position of the interacting elements to be communicated to a decision maker. The system can be applied to at least one stationary element, which can be the playing surface, lines defining the boundaries, or a set of goalposts; and at least one moving element, which could be a ball, footwear, or the participants themselves. The system can also be applied to performance media capture.

A racket dampener swing sensor apparatus to obtain measurements of parameters relative to the player's performance while reducing vibration includes a dampener body having a body front side, a body back side, and a body perimeter. The body perimeter has a string channel to selectively engage a plurality of strings of a tennis racket. The dampener body absorbs vibration from the plurality of strings. An accelerometer and a microcontroller with memory are coupled within the dampener body to measure hit velocity for each shot type (forehand, backhand, serve, topspin, slice, or flat). A vibration sensor is provided to detect when a ball is struck. A transceiver is coupled within the dampener body to wirelessly communicate with an app on a smartphone or computer. A battery is coupled within the dampener body and a charge port is in operational communication with the battery.

A tennis ball retriever for retrieving a tennis ball on and about a tennis court and for controllably releasing the ball includes a front-end ball collector having two spaced-apart blades defining a ball collection space. The retriever includes a means for gripping and securing a ball positioned at the fore end, and one or more detents for retaining the collected ball in the collection space until a programmed or manually-directed release toward a target location such as a tennis baseline. The retriever includes a processor-controller for controlling and directing the retriever during a retrieval session. The retriever may be remote-controlled such as by voice commands.