h a l f b a k e r y"Bun is such a sad word, is it not?" -- Watt, "Waiting for Godot"
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Suggested by the linked idea.
MPORG treadmills are normal in most respects, but are
linked to one another web-wise, and are also each linked
to a display screen.
You can now race against other treadmillers anywhere in
the world. Simply choose an avatar for yourself, find
other
runners
with similarly equipped machines, and off you
go.
Your screen shows the other runners, either on a generic
'road', or perhaps in some mutually agreed virtual
setting, from your own viewpoint.
As you pass them or are passed, so they disappear from
view, or come into view and vanish into the distance.
Suggested by:
Virtual_20Marathon
which I thought was going to be this. [MaxwellBuchanan, Nov 10 2013]
[link]
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I don't think it would be all that exciting, since you can't
really vary how fast you're running with a treadmill except
by modifying the speed setting to a higher constant speed,
and that's lame. Cheating would be really easy too—just
jump off the treadmill. |
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Adapting this for bicycles is brilliant, though. |
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So beat the cheat by installing a pressure switch on the
belt chassis: if you step off the treadmill, your avatar goes
idle or disappears. |
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//you can't really vary how fast you're running with
a treadmill except by modifying the speed setting
to a higher constant speed, and that's lame. // |
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I don't see the problem. What's the difference
between turning up the treadmill speed to the
maximum I can cope with, and running as hard as I
can on a road? |
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//Cheating would be really easy too—just jump off
the treadmill.// Fair point. The pressure switch
suggested by [Alterother] would solve that. Or
have
a sensor that detects footfalls so that, if you step
off the mill, your avatar just appears to glide
forward with no leg movement - that would show
you up. |
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It would require a noticeably longer treadmill bed,
but it should be possible to make a treadmill which
responds to your running speed (sensor arrays
towards the front and back that adjust the speed
when broken). |
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// neat if adapted for stationary bicycles // |
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Something very similar was available in some hotel gyms in the mid-1990's. A video monitor was mounted in front of the rider. The braking device on the bike was a large centrifugal fan. The monitor showed a variety of road scenes, and could be selected for flat, slightly hilly, mountainous, city streets etc. |
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The faster the rider pedaled, the more wind blew in their face, and the faster the video moved. It was surprisingly convincing, given the simplicity. |
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// stationary cycle racing // |
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Good work; that would be almost, but not quite, as stupid and futile as playing golf ... |
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Curling is very useful. All that dirty ice needs cleaned you know, may as well get volunteers to do it. |
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Besides, at least with curling there's a possibility that someone will get an amusingly painful injury to their lower limbs ... |
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I always thought that's how one got into golf. |
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^ metabun for that anno ^ |
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