124 Comm flt keeps Airmen on pace with HAMR innovation
Anyone who has taken the High Aerobic Multi-Shuttle Run knows one of the hardest parts isn’t just running faster as the test progresses, it’s knowing how fast to run in the first place.
The 124th Communications Flight recently built an LED pacing system designed to take the guesswork out of the HAMR by giving Airmen a visual pace to follow during their fitness assessment.
The system uses a 20-meter strip of programmable LED lights synchronized with the HAMR audio. As the test progresses, the lights move between the two lines at the pace Airmen need to maintain.
Staff Sgt. Dustyn Foster, NCOIC of the wing’s cybersecurity office with the 124th Communications Flight, helped build the system and was among the first Airmen to use it during an official fitness assessment.
“The main issue is Airmen go too fast on the first few levels and are more tired than they would be on later levels,” Foster said. “Because they would know exactly how fast they need to run, the lights give them something to pace off of.”
The Communications Flight based its system on an existing Air Force innovation project after they provided the build instructions and code. After some trial and error, the team adapted the design to work with the equipment available at Gowen Field.
“We had to add some more components and deviate from the instructions,” Foster said. “More so we could make it function better since some of their instructions didn’t match what we had.”
For Foster, the project also became personal when he used the system for his own physical fitness assessment.
“You’re easily able to follow the lights and know exactly how fast you should be going,” Foster said. “With that, you’re not tiring yourself out as much, so you can go further.”
Instead of reaching the line early, stopping and accelerating again, Foster said the lights allowed him to maintain a more consistent pace and conserve energy as the test progressed.
The project also shows the technical problem-solving that communications Airmen bring to the wing. “We have some very smart individuals that we rely on, not just with this project but other projects where we have to think outside of the box to build something,” Foster said.
Approximately five Airmen have tested the system so far, and the Communications Flight plans to continue using it while exploring improvements, including a built-in touchscreen that would make the system completely self-contained.
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