Although treadmills do let you vary your running speed, you have to repeatedly reach down and hit the controls in order to do so. The Kickr Run offers a more natural hands-free alternative, in that it automatically adjusts its belt speed to match your running speed.
First of all, there are already non-motorized manual treadmills on which the belt moves in response to the user's changing pace. Because they lack motors, however, there isn't the option of using these devices in a more traditional powered mode.
Manufactured by Wahoo Fitness, the Kickr Run allows you to take either approach.
In its default mode, the treadmill's belt keeps moving at a given speed until the runner uses the console controls (or their Bluetooth-linked mobile device) to manually adjust it up or down.
Its top speed is listed as being a 4-minute-mile (2.28-minute-km) pace.
In the treadmill's RunFree mode, an integrated time-of-flight optical sensor continuously monitors the distance between the runner and the console. Within milliseconds of them getting closer (as they speed up) or farther away (as they slow down), the sensor automatically triggers the belt motor to speed up or slow down accordingly.
As a result, the user always stays centered between the front and rear end of the belt, regardless of their running speed. Scientists at The Ohio State University developed an experimental system that served the purpose back in 2015, although it utilized a sonar range finder that was aimed at the user's back.
To make things more interesting, the Kickr Run can be used with platforms such as Zwift Run, in which users run through 3D computer-generated online environments. As the user runs up the virtual hills in those places, the running surface of the treadmill tilts up accordingly. The belt speed also decreases and increases as the user climbs and descends, respectively.
The Kickr Run is available now in the US and other markets, priced at US$4,999.99 – a launch in Germany and the UK is scheduled for next year. It's demonstrated in the video below.
Source: Wahoo Fitness