Pedometer

A pedometer or step counter is a small mechanical or electronic device for counting steps, which attaches the carrier to a belt or waistband. In animals, a pedometer is usually attached to the legs.

Although the step counter or odometer were committed early, they arrived in Germany until the end of the 17th century into use again. They had rectangular case and had on the cover usually four dials, which made it possible to count up to 10,000 steps.

Principle

The steps taken are counted and the carrier - stored digitally - in electronic devices. Since the number of steps is determined by the switching back and forth a ball of mercury or other metal, deviations may be caused by paddles or similar movements. The accuracy of the count is in the range of a few percent, however, can exceed by very uneven ground or walking rhythm 10%.

Modern pedometer also indicate the net walking time and distance traveled when previously the average step length is determined and entered. Waiting periods are not counted as soon as 1-2 double steps are omitted. Some models also allow an approximate calculation of calorie consumption, to which the body weight is entered.

Applications

Frequently used by hikers and sportsmen, the pedometer is also becoming increasingly associated with health prevention important. In addition to the control of the daily movement behavior he should especially increase awareness of one's own movement behavior in the field of health prevention and motivate additional movement. The effectiveness was recently demonstrated in a study, with the result that the pedometer can motivate people to exercise more and thereby reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Per additional 2,000 steps a day, the risk of cardiovascular events by 8 percent can be reduced.

In agriculture it is used in dairy farming in order to draw conclusions about the activity of the animals on the measured number of steps and thus can get additional information on the oestrus cycle of the animals. The pedometer is for tethered above the claw.

Explorers of previous centuries had always know their approximate location to retrieve the camp in the wilderness. For this, the direction and the number of steps had to be noted.