well, you cant have the machine harm a person (however much fun that seems) but you can give them the impression they can just run away and have them run agains

well, you cant have the machine harm a person (however much fun that seems) but you can give them the impression they can just run away and have them run against an algo that will only just prevent it. It should be crafted perfectly to keep the test subject under the impression they almost made it. If they want to fall down and hurt themselves that is entirely up to then. There is the calm voice instructing to wait for the authorities, that is the best we can do. If they some how run to fast or if someone comes to help them with a rope sudden stops and reversal should make the adventure more adventurous. The goal is to convince the test subject it isn't worth damaging the machine. People like that have a hard time remembering what not to do. I'm not a sadist, the machine will feed them however long they are stuck there.