Actually, it marches on its feet.
University of Otago biomechanics student Marian Baxter (23) has just been awarded a scholarship so she can continue her research studying the feet and walking gait of New Zealand soldiers in a bid to reduce lower leg and back injuries.
"The real strength of this study was that it had the support of the military. This makes the results so much more convincing.
"This is because everyone in the army wears the same [type of] boots, walks with the same load, and does the same routine over a long period of time," she said yesterday.
Ms Baxter learned about the high incidence of injury caused by ill-fitted boots during her time as a New Zealand Army territorial over the past five years.
"It was through being a territorial that I found out what a problem it was. We were given two sets of boots and if I wore the older boots my knees would get really sore.
"A lot of people get sore doing army training and that sparked my interest," she said.
Now, she is planning to refine her protocol.
"If we are correct, we could potentially save any member of the public a lot of time, money and discomfort caused by these common injuries," she said.
She also found that the rate of lower limb and back injuries was particularly high among Pacific Island and Maori army personnel.
This was because their feet were too wide for the standard-issue army boots.
Ms Baxter has been awarded a $30,000-a-year scholarship by footwear technology company Foot Science International to develop her concept further.
"They got very excited when we did the pilot study and offered me a three-year scholarship so I can test the protocol on a wider cross-section of the population.
"Everyone has either been affected, or knows someone affected, by these types of injuries.
"The whole population could eventually benefit from this research. Many people do not wear the right shoes to suit their feet or their gait."
