Force platform embedded treadmill with safety harness system

Midwestern State University received a $230,780 Project Grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) under the Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health program (CFDA 93.286), awarded September 25, 2025, with completion targeted for August 31, 2026. The grant funds the acquisition of a force platform embedded treadmill with an integrated safety harness system for use by the Department of Athletic Training and Exercise Physiology. This equipment will serve as the primary resource of its kind within a 100-mile radius, supporting undergraduate and graduate-level laboratory instruction in gait biomechanics analysis, cardiorespiratory assessment, and exercise prescription across multiple semester-long courses.

The treadmill will enable faculty-led research into gait biomechanics and physiological variables while expanding applied learning opportunities for the institution's diverse student population, including over 40% first-generation students and 42% Pell Grant recipients. Beyond academic instruction, the equipment will provide community-accessible rehabilitative services for patients with health-related conditions, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, addressing regional healthcare and educational needs in underserved areas outside the Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma City metropolitan regions.

Abstract

Acquisition of a force platform embedded treadmill with a safety-harness system will enhance the education, research, and community needs of the department of athletic training (atrn) and exercise physiology (exph) at midwestern state university (MSU) and the surrounding region. MSU is a predominately undergraduate, hispanic-serving institution with a large population of first-generation students (over 40% of undergraduates) and pell recipients (42% of undergraduates). The proposed equipment will enhance the educational experiences of the atrn and exph department's diverse student population by enhancing the analysis of participants' gait during laboratory courses in the department during each 16-week semester. The treadmill will also advance faculty research into gait biomechanics and assessment of physiologic variables. As MSU is located over 100 miles from the nearest research-intensive universities in the dallas-fort worth metroplex and oklahoma city, this treadmill will also be the only one of its kind accessible to MSU faculty and students as well as patients in the surrounding communities who could utilize IT for rehabilitative purposes. Incorporating this equipment into MSU's laboratory will improve educational outcomes by promoting applied experiences to enhance student growth and knowledge. The force platform embedded treadmill will allow undergraduate students in our department to observe multiple factors when assessing VO2 max and other stress tests performed on a treadmill in the introductory exercise physiology and exercise prescription courses. The master's level graduate students will be able to practice a more hands-on approach in their courses, such as advanced biomechanics, and utilize this equipment for their thesis projects. MSU faculty will perform research with athletes and individuals with health-related issues (e.g. cardiovascular disease, diabetes, orthopedic injuries/disorders). The broad goals of the faculty research involving the force platform treadmill with safety-harness system will be to aid in the performance outcomes of athletes and other populations and understand how these populations can improve performance. MSU prioritizes the inclusion of undergraduate and master's level graduate students in faculty projects, so faculty research with this equipment will also provide research experiences for students that will better prepare them for the biomedical workforce or advanced degrees. Since many of our graduates go on to attain advanced degrees in physical therapy, access to this equipment will better prepare them for advanced study and careers in physical therapy.