‘Anti-Gravity’ Treadmills Speed Rehabilitation

About this technology

Overview

A former Ames Research Center engineer, Dr. Robert Whalen, invented a treadmill that he licensed to a Menlo Park, California company, Alter-G Inc. The company's G-Trainer is an enclosed treadmill that uses air pressure to help patients feel up to 80-percent lighter, easing discomfort during rehabilitation. A patient desiring more weightlessness during a workout can simply press a button and the air pressure increases, lifting the body and reducing strain and impact. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the G-Trainer for medical use in January 2008, and researchers are now assessing the G-Trainer's effectiveness in aiding patients with various neurological or musculoskeletal conditions.