Pedometer

A pedometer is a device that counts the steps a person takes. These devices are typically portable and electronic. Some work by detecting the motion of a person’s hips as they move from side to side, while others count electronic pulses each time a user takes a step. A user can then multiply the number of steps by the length of their stride to estimate the distance walked. Most contemporary pedometers will automatically measure the distance along with the number of steps taken. Pedometers range from basic models to more advanced ones that can also measure calories burned and the user’s heart rate. Initially, they were mainly used by athletes and other physical fitness enthusiasts, but they have since become popular as everyday accessories to help people keep in shape, maintain a healthy weight, or find motivation to lose weight. There are also websites where users can record their steps and monitor their physical fitness progress.

Brief History

Several people have been credited with inventing the pedometer. In the fifteenth century, inventor and artist Leonardo da Vinci sketched plans for a device to track the distance that a Roman soldier walked for military purposes. His sketches show a gear-driven device with a pendulum arm that swings back and forth for every leg motion. Historians believe that Leonardo also designed this device to aid in creating more accurate maps.

In 1525, French craftsman Jean Fernel created a device that resembled a pocket watch and featured four dials linked by a mechanism that attached to the user’s belt. A cord would then be attached to the user’s right knee so that it would pull on the device every time a step was taken.

In the eighteenth century, future president Thomas Jefferson traveled to France and brought back a mechanical pedometer, which he introduced to the United States. In a letter to James Madison dated 1788, Jefferson gave instructions for using the device: the user was to attach a tape to the bottom with a hook on the end, then hang the pedometer from his or her watch pocket and pass the tape through a hole in the bottom of the pocket so the hook could attach to the knee. Because he never patented any of his inventions, it is unclear whether Jefferson made any further modifications to the device. Many referred to the pedometers as "Tomish meters" in his honor.

Despite this early introduction, pedometers did not become popular in the United States until the 1930s, when a device called the "Hike-o-Meter" was marketed on the radio show Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy. However, it was in Japan that pedometers would become a truly widespread phenomenon.

In 1965, the Yamasa Tokei Keiki Company began selling a pedometer in Japan under the name "manpo-meter," later known as "manpo-kei"; manpo translates as "ten thousand steps." This was based on the research of Dr. Yoshiro Hatano, who suggested that a person should walk ten thousand steps per day, or about five miles, in order to maintain a healthy weight. Hatano and his team of researchers found that this number of steps would burn about 20 percent of an average Japanese person’s daily caloric intake. Pedometers became so popular in Japan that the Japanese government set an industry standard stating that every pedometer produced in the country had to be accurate to within 3 percent of the actual steps the user takes. Hatano’s research became widely accepted in the 1980s, and the ten-thousand-steps approach soon became popular in the United States as well.

Pedometer Basics

A pedometer is a portable device used to count the number of steps a person takes. Because each person’s steps vary in length, pedometers need to be calibrated by the user to accurately measure distance along with the number of steps. Most pedometers calculate distance traveled by counting electronic pulses each time a user takes a step and then multiplying that number by the user’s preprogrammed step distance. Users need to be mindful of whether their model of pedometer distinguishes between "stride" and "step."

Pedometers are typically worn on a user’s waistband or belt, above the right knee. To ensure accuracy, they should be attached facing straight up and down rather than tilted to the side. Some users secure their pedometers with a pin or strap to ensure that they will not fall off.

The more advanced a pedometer is, the more accurate it may be. However, any pedometer’s accuracy depends greatly on whether the user calibrates it correctly. Most pedometers are fairly accurate if the user is moving at a normal walking pace on a flat surface. Placing the pedometer in an optimal position also increases the odds for precision. Many pedometers, no matter how advanced, falsely count steps when a person is driving a car or performing other stationary tasks that involve some body movement.

Pedometer Apps and Other Devices

Most smartphones and other portable electronic devices are equipped with integrated accelerometers. An accelerometer is a device that measures acceleration and acceleration forces such as gravity and vibrations. Devices that contain accelerometers are ideal for pedometer applications, or apps. Once downloaded, these apps can give a user’s everyday electronic device the same functionality as a standard portable pedometer.

Various other forms of step counters have been developed. A service called Tractivity, for example, provides users with a sensor to place on their shoe that counts the number of steps and uploads them to a personal web page where users can monitor their progress. Some electronic devices have been developed specifically to combine pedometer functions. There are MP3-capable pedometers, for example, and some portable video-gaming systems come with internal pedometers.

Pedometers to Promote Weight Loss

Pedometers are used as exercise-measuring tools and motivators. Psychological research suggests that when people can measure their daily steps and distance, they become more motivated to push themselves to reach a goal. A commonly cited goal is ten thousand steps per day, as endorsed by Hatano’s research.

Studies have shown that an average person takes about three thousand to four thousand steps per day. Most people do not have the time to take all ten thousand steps at once, so pedometer users typically go out of their way to take extra steps during their daily routine in order to increase their distance. For example, users may take the stairs instead of an elevator, choose a parking spot farther away from a store when shopping, or walk down every aisle of a grocery store.

Pedometers Today

Contemporary technology has done away with mechanical pedometers in exchange for electronic ones that use sensors and various software components. As smartphones and other personal electronic devices such as MP3 players have become more popular, several pedometer apps have been introduced. In addition, many workplaces, schools, and other community groups operate pedometer programs, where users can earn rewards by meeting targets and compete against each other to increase their daily step counts.

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