Pedometers - History and Uses

It is eight in the morning and you are ready to leave for office. You have put your wallet in your pocket, tied your wrist watch and got your car keys. Then you remember and tie your pedometer belt on your waist. At the end of the day you are surprised to see that you have unknowingly met with the daily walking target that you have set for yourself. Undoubtedly, a pedometer is a very useful device and is used now-a-days mainly to monitor whether you are giving your body enough exercise. However, this was not the basic purpose with which the device was invented.

History of Pedometers

Thomas Jefferson, the third President, of the United States of America is generally crowned with the invention of the pedometer. Just like his other inventions, he had not applied for a patent for this one too, so we don't actually know, whether his was the first brain to think of it. Nevertheless, it was through his efforts that the device gained its initial popularity. Also known as the 'Tomish meter', probably after the name of its known founder, the device initially worked on the mechanical process of the swinging of a pendulum. Now let's go back further into history. The 15th century paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, reveal the idea of a device to monitor the distance traveled by a Roman soldier on foot. The idea materialized and infact the Roman army did actually carry the device. It gave a rough estimate of the distance traveled by a soldier on foot. The device became popular in the United States, sometime around 1930, and it was marketed by the name of 'Hike-o-Meter'. Later in 1965, Y. Hatano marketed the device in Japan, under the name 'Manpo-Kei'. The initial pedometer was an analog device. It consisted of a lead ball, swinging inside the device and solving the purpose of a pendulum. The device would be tied to the hip and with walking or any other hip motion, the lead ball would strike the walls of the meter. This was the basic source for providing the readings. The pedometers of those times, did not give very precise readings. They were infact, subject to a lot of errors.

Uses of Pedometers

The modern pedometers, that are used today, undoubtedly have a lot more precision. Pedometers now, also come integrated in mobile phones and portable music players too. Initially, pedometers found a lot of importance in sportsmen. They would generally use the device to monitor the distance they ran. But soon after its introduction in 1930, it did not take much time to get popular among the common masses too.

People who were advised regular exercise by their doctors, also started using pedometers. Generally, it is advisable for any person to walk at least 5 miles a day. A pedometer can accurately keep track of the distance traveled by a person, on foot every day. The process of measuring the distance is still the same i.e by sensing the hip motion, but the device has now become totally digital and electronic. It has become more sensitive and can analyse more accurately. It can now differentiate very clearly when a person is walking and when he has just encountered an accidental jerk.

The device is particularly popular among diabetics and those who suffer from some chronic diseases. The device is also referred by some people as a step counter, but there is a line of demarcation that can be drawn between them and pedometers. Step counters can just provide you with information on the number of steps you have walked in a day, while pedometers can provide you with the exact distance traveled. Infact, the GPS enabled pedometers that are available in the market, can provide with the most accurate and precise data on the distance traveled.

Pedometers are indeed simple and compact devices. They are very user-friendly and do not need much of a calibration before you start your daily activities. All you need to do is simply reset the count, tie it onto your hips or keep it in your pocket and simply forget about it. At the end of the day you can easily make out if the daily routine that you are following, is helping you to achieve your target, or if you need to put in more effort.