Partially Submerged Penguin Treadmill

Our client, Shedd Aquarium, houses two species of penguins: rockhopper and Magellanic penguins. Both species thrive in captivity, but tend to develop joint conditions such as arthritis in old age. Shedd came to us looking for a way to provide their oldest penguins with joint-safe exercise. 

We began by looking into solutions to this problem for other species, but ran into unique issues because of the penguins’ aquatic nature. 

We also conducted research on the two species of penguin, their natural gaits, and arthritis in penguins. 

When creating our design, we chose to take inspiration from underwater treadmills for household animals like dogs and cats. 

However, this presents a unique problem since penguins will choose to swim whenever it is possible. Shedd specifically wanted the penguins to exercise by walking instead of swimming, since this provides more benefits to the penguins’ joints. We solved this issue by using large plastic rings to contain the penguin. These didn’t give the animals enough space to lay down in a swimming position, but still allowed them to use their wings to balance, an important part of their natural walking gait. 

Another problem that presented itself was that these species of penguins live in saltwater, meaning the tank and everything within it would have to be impervious to the saltwater. We chose materials that wouldn’t be degraded by the water, and chose to use a hand crank instead of a motor to avoid complicating the waterproofing. Another reason for this choice was that the veterinary staff at Shedd wanted a greater degree of control over the speed of the penguins for safety, which the hand crank provided.