Awesome Treadmills

We’ve seen a 3D printer that can output long items on a conveyor belt. Makers Ivan Miranda and Jón Schone took that idea and upscaled it, replacing the small belt unit with a full-size treadmill. After building the 3D printer’s X/Y mechanism, he used it to output an I-beam as big as the ones used in construction. We can’t wait to see them print a kayak with it.

Some factories have fancy conveyor systems that can move items in different directions. We’ve also been wowed by Disney’s Holotile floor. Banana Gear Studios’ LEGO treadmill takes inspiration from the Holotile, but uses discs that tilt at different angles items instead of rotating them. The mini treadmill can only move tiny objects, but it could be expanded.

After betting Travis Pastrana that he could run a mile in under four minutes, Jim York and his pals from Channel 199 came up with a cheat code. They welded a treadmill to the roof of a UTV, powered it with a generator, and then took it for a spin. It looks fairly tame on the pavement, but hanging on while doing an off-road jump looks a bit more sketchy.

Simon from ClayClaim has made some incredible polymer clay sculptures based on video games. This time, he upgraded from a static diorama to a motion scene. He used clay and paper to craft a backdrop based on Sonic the Hedgehog’s Green Hill Zone, then attached a LEGO Technic motor and added a wheeled Sonic to run through the level.

If you place a vehicle on a slope without any brakes, it’s destined to roll downhill. But what if that slope was an upward-moving treadmill? Brick Technology’s latest experiment was to see if he could keep a LEGO car from rolling downhill by making various modifications to compensate for an increasingly steep slope.

GazR’s Extreme Brick Machines modified a LEGO treadmill they built and turned it into an extreme obstacle course for a remote-controlled tank. The treadmill is powered by four Powered Up L motors and includes a variety of hills, rollers, ramps, speed bumps, a turntable, and a spinning gate for the tank to navigate.

Because he can’t be bothered to feed himself anymore, Joseph of Joseph’s Machines built a conveyor belt to deliver his breakfast. We’re not just talking food rolling along the line, but a series of individual machines designed to stuff food and pour drinks into his mouth. The behind-the-scenes video is great too.

Guédelon is an attraction in France that’s in the process of building a castle and its technologies based on authentic 13th-century drawings and artifacts. Among its features are these giant hamster wheels that use human power to lift stones. Tom Scott got a chance to give one of these treadwheel cranes a spin.

You might think that towing a trailer looks pretty easy, but there’s a lot you need to be aware of to tow a payload safely. This demonstration video from Weigh Safe shows a scale pickup truck pulling a trailer with an ATV, and how important weight distribution is, especially at higher speeds. (Thanks Steve!)

One of the downsides to drawing with a pencil is that you frequently need to sharpen it. But if you keep a pencil sharp, how long of a line could you draw with it? YouTuber President Chay thought it was time to find out, so he covered his treadmill with paper and got to testing with different kinds of pencils and a pen.

Car companies use a variety of methods to test the suspension and handling of new cars in development. They usually do terrain testing on shaker machine and outdoor courses. Brick Technology built a treadmill that uses and LEGO brick obstacles to test various suspension setups for LEGO Technic cars.

While you can get plenty of exercise riding a normal bicycle, you can’t walk or jog while riding it. Not unless you have a bicycle that’s also a treadmill like this guy has. Dutch company Lopifit makes these electric walking bicycles, though they appear to be out of production at present.

“This is gonna be a quick race, folks.” YouTuber Steve Wilkins and his young sidekicks Tyler and Dylan have been posting a series of videos in which he races toy cars on his treadmill. In this clip, they put 100 cars on the belt, then cranked up the speed, resulting in a chaotic start that quickly culls the field.

Thanks to its hydraulic folding mechanism, LifePro’s space-efficient treadmill gets out of your way when not in use. It offers 12 incline levels, and its motor can hit speeds up to 9.9 mph. It also includes a progress monitor and integrates with fitness apps via Bluetooth. Save 12% in The Awesomer Shop.

The Treadly is a treadmill for people who don’t have a lot of space in their home. It’s just 5″ thick and has a foldable handrail. It has a capacity of 250lb and lets you go up to 5mph. Instead of buttons, it uses zones on the belt to help you control the speed.