Today, the term walking pad is widely used to describe compact walking treadmills. What many people may not know is that WalkingPad started as a brand created by KingSmith. As the creator of WalkingPad, KingSmith pioneered the walking pad category and helped redefine how people stay active at home and at work.
Over the years, WalkingPad evolved from a brand name into a category recognized by consumers around the world—a rare achievement that reflects years of innovation, consumer trust, and market influence.
Before WalkingPad, There Was No Walking Pad Category
For decades, treadmills were designed around performance, with higher speeds, larger motors, and increasingly advanced training features. While these innovations appealed to dedicated fitness enthusiasts, they didn't always align with how most people approached exercise.
At the same time, lifestyles were changing. People were spending longer hours at desks, living in smaller spaces, and struggling to find time for traditional workout routines. Many wanted to be more active, but they weren't necessarily looking for intense training programs or marathon preparation. They simply wanted a practical way to move more throughout the day.
We noticed a growing gap between how fitness equipment was designed and how people actually lived. The products available at the time often required too much space, too much commitment, and too much effort to integrate into everyday life.
That realization challenged us to rethink what home fitness could be.
How KingSmith Reimagined Home Fitness
At KingSmith, we believed fitness didn't need to be complicated. Our vision was built around a simple idea: helping more people enjoy movement by making it easier, more accessible, and more convenient. Instead of asking consumers to adapt their lives around fitness equipment, we asked how fitness equipment could adapt to modern lifestyles.
Could a treadmill take up less space?
Could it be easier to store?
Could it fit into modern homes and busy lifestyles?
Could it make movement feel more accessible to everyday people?
Could fitness fit naturally into everyday life?
These questions challenged many of the assumptions that had shaped the treadmill industry for years. The result was a new way of thinking about home fitness—one centered on simplicity, accessibility, and everyday movement.
The Birth of WalkingPad
Turning that vision into reality was far from easy. At the time, products like walking pads simply didn't exist. Creating a compact, foldable treadmill that was both practical and enjoyable to use required rethinking nearly every aspect of traditional treadmill design.
Working alongside an innovative engineering team, KingSmith spent years developing and refining the concept. From folding mechanisms to user experience, every detail was carefully considered.
The goal wasn't to make a smaller treadmill. The goal was to make movement easier.
After years of development and refinement, the first walking pad was introduced to consumers. The response was immediate. People recognized the value of a treadmill that could fit into apartments, home offices, and shared living spaces while providing an easy way to stay active throughout the day.
To learn more about who invented the walking pad and why it was created, explore our full story.
What started as a product quickly became something much bigger.
Building a Category, Not Just a Product
Launching a new product is challenging. Launching a new category is even harder.
When WalkingPad entered the market, consumers understood treadmills. But they didn't yet have a name for a compact, foldable treadmill designed specifically for walking and everyday use. The category itself had to be created. That meant introducing new ideas and new habits.
Walking while working.
Walking during meetings.
Walking while watching television.
Walking for consistency rather than intensity.
Over time, these behaviors became increasingly common. As more people embraced this approach to fitness, the category grew alongside it. WalkingPad wasn't simply participating in a market. It was helping define one.
The Innovations Behind WalkingPad
Creating a category requires continuous innovation. From the beginning, our focus has been on removing barriers and making movement feel more natural. Guided by that philosophy, KingSmith has developed a broad portfolio of innovations and now holds more than 260 patents, reflecting our ongoing commitment to reimagining how people move and stay active.
SpeedDial™ Control
Traditional treadmills often rely on multiple buttons and complicated control panels. SpeedDial™ Control simplified the experience with an intuitive rotary dial that allows users to increase or decrease speed with a simple turn. Starting and stopping the treadmill is equally effortless. It's a small feature that reflects a larger philosophy: fitness should feel intuitive.
FootSense™ Control
FootSense™ Control introduced a smarter way to interact with a treadmill. Using intelligent sensors built into the deck, the system automatically adjusts speed based on where you stand on the belt.
Move forward to accelerate.
Stay centered to maintain pace.
Move backward to slow down.
The result is an experience that feels responsive, natural, and uniquely WalkingPad.
SoftStep™ Cushioning
Comfort plays an important role in long-term fitness habits. SoftStep™ Cushioning helps reduce impact while creating a smoother walking and running experience. By helping reduce stress on the knees and ankles, it supports more comfortable movement over longer periods of time.
Together, these innovations support a common goal: making fitness easier to access and easier to enjoy. Today, WalkingPad products are used by consumers in more than 80 countries and regions around the world.
Why WalkingPad Became Synonymous with the Category
Several factors contributed to this transition.
1. Identifying a Real Consumer Need
Successful categories are rarely created through marketing alone. The growth of walking pads was driven by a genuine demand for solutions that help people stay active while managing busy schedules and increasingly sedentary work environments. WalkingPad entered the market at a time when these needs were becoming more visible.
2. Creating a Distinct Product Experience
Walking pads weren't simply smaller treadmills. Features such as foldable designs, under-desk compatibility, and simplified operation created a product experience that felt different enough to deserve its own category. Consumers quickly understood what a walking pad was and how it differed from traditional fitness equipment.
3. Aligning With Lifestyle Trends
The rise of remote work, home offices, wellness-focused living, and flexible schedules created ideal conditions for category growth. Walking pads fit naturally into these trends by helping people incorporate movement into everyday routines without requiring significant lifestyle changes.
WalkingPad's Impact on Modern Fitness
The rise of WalkingPad coincided with broader changes in how people approach health and wellness.
Remote work became more common.
Urban living spaces became smaller.
Consumers became increasingly aware of the importance of daily movement.
As a result, fitness shifted away from the idea that exercise only happens during dedicated workouts. People began looking for ways to move more throughout the day. WalkingPad helped support that shift by making movement more accessible in places where traditional fitness equipment often couldn't fit.
Today, compact walking treadmills can be found in home offices, living rooms, apartments, and workplaces around the world. What once seemed unconventional has become part of everyday life for many consumers.
What's Next for WalkingPad?
The story of WalkingPad is still being written. We believe fitness should fit into your life, your home, and your budget. By helping people save space, save time, and stay active throughout the day, we're making movement easier to integrate into modern life.
Because our goal has never been simply to build fitness equipment.
Our goal is to help more people move.
To help more people build healthier habits.
And to continue creating products that fit naturally into everyday life.
As we continue to shape the future of everyday movement, that mission remains unchanged.
Living Better, Together.
— KingSmith