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The treadmill's dark and twisted past - Conor Heffernan

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The constant thud underneath your feet. The constrained space. The monotony of going nowhere fast. Running on a treadmill can certainly feel like torture, but did you know it was originally used for that very purpose? Conor Heffernan details the dark and twisted history of the treadmill.

Prisoners often had to use the treadmill for 6 hours a day. What effect do you think this had on the prisoners?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Conor Heffernan
  • Director Yukai Du
  • Animator Jiaqi Liu
  • Composer Cem Misirlioglu
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

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