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Principle of Operations
AlterG’s technology was originally conceived as part of an effort to help NASA’s astronauts maintain fitness
during prolonged space flight. AlterG pioneered the concept of combining this technology with an advanced
pressure regulation system and treadmill into a machine that provides the most effective and comfortable
body weight support system available today.
Physics and Technology Behind the Anti-GravityTreadmill
Differential Air-Pressure Technology
The physical lifting force generated by the Anti-Gravity Treadmill comes from a difference in air pressure
around the user’s upper and lower body. The Anti-Gravity Treadmill uses this methodology, known as
Differential Air Pressure (DAP) technology to unweight the user.
An inflatable fabric enclosure covers the treadmill. In the middle of the enclosure is a hole through which
the user steps onto the surface of the treadmill. The user wears a special pair of shorts, and these shorts
are zipped into the hole in the enclosure. A blower is used to inflate the enclosure. The pressure generated
in the inflated enclosure provides a lifting force against the body. Because the pressure is only slightly
above atmospheric and evenly distributed, the force on the lower body is almost imperceptible. The Anti-
Gravity Treadmill provides a level of comfort while exercising unmatched by other unweighting systems.
Pressure Regulation System
AlterG has developed an advanced and very sophisticated pressure regulation system that ensures the
Anti-Gravity Treadmill has extremely accurate weight control with good reproducibility between sessions.
When you run in the Anti-Gravity Treadmill, the natural bouncing motion of your body changes the shape
and volume of the bag. This effect would change the interior pressure of the bag and your effective
exercise weight if it were not for the pressure regulation system in the Anti-Gravity Treadmill that monitors
and reacts to these changes. This technology makes rapid adjustments to the bag pressure, maintaining
the pressure in the bag and your exercise body weight at near constant levels.