This exercise machine is just too weird

(Credit: PipeDreems)

After having gotten suckered by more than a few infomercial exercise gadgets, we're hesitant to pay any attention to them. For one thing, we're convinced that many are marketed with planned obsolescence in mind, with a life cycle of only a few months each. But enough of our conspiracy theories (for now).

Even with all that skepticism and personal bile, we still can't resist pointing to the "Galileo Magnifico," if nothing else because of its impressive name. It also supposedly has a storied background, as described by Gadget Candy: "Developed in the Soviet Union to train cosmonauts, it's now the equipment of choice for athletes such as Lance Armstrong."

But about that bizarre shape. The "GM," as we'll affectionately call it, is trying to capitalize on the fitness fad of "vibration training" apparently sweeping Europe. (The cynic in us finds no small measure of humor in the manufacturer's name: PipeDreems Limited.) As much as we never thought we'd say this, the treadmill is looking better all the time.