Aussie Army to Test 10,000 Feet for Perfect Boot
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CANBERRA, Australia — The Australian Army is to test the feet of 5,000 soldiers with lasers in a scientific search for a better boot.
“It’s going to be a smelly operation,” project officer Maj. David Evered said Friday.
The tests will examine the effects of physical exercise on feet.
The stress of parachuting, marching, carrying loads and wearing the boots in different climates will be recorded on a database and the contours of the troops’ march-hardened feet will be preserved as computer images for modeling.
Existing boots were designed in 1962 before the Vietnam War.
Evered said design features of high-quality sports shoes, such as gel implants and dual-density soles, were being considered for the new boots.
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