I wonder how many inventions they had on The Jetson's that we actually have today? This isn't a trivia question- I'm just curious.
We now have robots to vacuum our floor.(Not Rosie but Roomba!) We can see the person we are talking to. (Not holographic phones but webcams!)
Can you think of any others? ++++++++++ 05-06-06, 01:58 PM jusork Didn't the dog (ah, I'm blanking on his name) run on a treadmill outside?
05-06-06, 02:24 PM kittypal
quote: Originally posted by jusork: Didn't the dog (ah, I'm blanking on his name) run on a treadmill outside?
Astro
05-06-06, 02:27 PM clarebear Dogs now run on treadmills?
05-06-06, 03:28 PM FredPuli
quote: Originally posted by clarebear: Dogs now run on treadmills?
Yes. They have a good paw to weight ratio.
05-06-06, 06:33 PM jusork Astro. Thanks, Kitty!
quote: Originally posted by clarebear: Dogs now run on treadmills?
Actually I was thinking just of treadmills. But yeah, I have actually heard of dog treadmills. Let's see...Here we are.
05-07-06, 06:43 PM kittypal Pretty sure treadmills were out long before the Jetsons, not sure what year Jetsons made their debut or what year the treadmill did either, but willing to bet the treadmill came first.
05-07-06, 09:02 PM jusork Aw, dang.
05-07-06, 09:15 PM DorianGreyed I have seen treadmills in newsreels from the 1930s, which certainly pre-dates the Jetsons.
05-07-06, 09:25 PM DorianGreyed tread (v.) Look up tread at Dictionary.com O.E. tredan (class V strong verb; past tense træd, pp. treden), from P.Gmc. *tredanan (cf. O.Fris. treda, M.Du. treden, O.H.G. tretan, Ger. treten, Goth. trudan, O.N. troða). The noun is recorded from c.1225, from the verb; in ref. to automobile tires, it is recorded from 1906. Treadmill invented (and named) 1822 by William Cubitt of Ipswich, England; originally an instrument of prison discipline. - Online Etymology Dictionary -------- Fast-forward to 1952 and the first medical treadmill. It was invented by UW cardiologist Robert Bruce, called the father of exercise cardiology, along with UW staffer Wayne Quinton. Together, they developed the standard treadmill test to diagnose and evaluate heart and lung disease. Quinton later sold his interest to Stairmaster, who was subsequently bought by Nautilus. - http://www.thehistoryof.net/history-of-treadmills.html -------- Horses were used to power machinery at least as early as the 16th century. Stationary sweeps are illustrated and described by Ramelli in 1588, and, in Germany, by Agricola in 1556. In the early 19th c. most horsepowers were still stationary and fitted with simple low speed gearing. By the 1830's, in America, both portable sweeps and railway treadmills had evolved to power the popular groundhog threshers. Many forms of gearing were developed to increase the speed of both sweeps and treadmills as required by the evolving threshing machines.
Since the treadmill derives its power from the weight of the animal, rather than the draft, it proved particularly useful for smaller animals - dogs, sheep and goats. For heavy work, horses were hitched so both weight and draft contributed to the power output of the treadmill. Where only the animals weight was used, the amount of power could be controlled by adjusting the angle of incline of the track.
J.A. and H.A. Pitts patented a horse treadmill in 1834. "Pitt's Endless chain and cogband" featured iron chain links and many hardwood rollers to support the entire tread and prevent it from sagging.They manufactured this treadmill and also a sweep horse power to power their groundhog threshers.
E. Briggs, of Ft Covington, NY also invented and patented a horse treadmill July 12, 1834, for use with his threshing machines. The primitive chain consisted of u-bolts under each tread with loose connecting links.
M. Davenport, of Phillips, ME, patented a wooden cog belt treadmill on Oct 10, 1835
As treadmill development continued after the 1830's, one important improvement was the "level tread" design, where the treads remained horizontal, rather than sloped upward. This provided a surer footing for the horse, and less leg strain. The Heebners of Montgomery county, PA, first patented a level tread for their toothed chain treadmill in 1871. The triangular links allowed an inclined lower surface and a horizontal upper surface, resembling a mini-escalator. In 1883, the Heebners received another patent for an improved level tread, now using iron cross rods to secure the links on opposite sides of the track, rather than relying on the tenoned wooden treads to do this.
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