Do elephants run or walk really fast? C'mon, admit it...you've spent hours contemplating that very question. Although it's not really important if they're charging you at 15mph, scientists believe determining if it's a fast walk or a run will help improve animal welfare and possibly even create large robots.

Dr. John Hutchinson, lead researcher for this important question, has already shown that elephants in fact appear to run, but now with funding from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and a team of 3D animators, Hutchinson will lead the team who will give the world a definitive answer.

What the team will be doing is similar to what is done in video games and in special effects movies. They will be using motion capture cameras recording 15 points of the elephant to get the exact movements at 240 FPS. Then using MRI and CT scans, a 3D model of the elephant will be made to show force on the muscles, tendons, bones, and other elephant parts back in the lab. After that, all they have to do it check if it's running.

For those not in the know, a run can be scientifically determined by the fact that at least for a short time, a creature has no feet on the ground.

Dr. Hutchinson said, “We are particularly interested how elephants coordinate their limbs and working out which joints contribute most to the length and frequency of their steps. In examining whether elephants truly run or not we need to understand what limits their top speed. Is it the tendons and muscles having to withstand the impact of 7 tonnes of elephant or is it something else?” He later added, “A better understanding of elephant biomechanics offers the possibility for real animal welfare improvements. By developing ways to spot slight changes in gait and joint movements in captive elephants we can catch the early onset of osteomyelitis and arthritis. If these conditions are not treated early they can result in an elephant being put down.”

The research team has been working with elephants at UK wildlife and safari parks and will shortly travel to Africa and Thailand to study wild animals.