Super Suit for Swimmers

By Arwen Wilcock

In the world of competitive swimming the right outfit can make all the difference. Not only does the swimming pool's ultimate fashion statement look rather striking, but in the first week of its release, swimmers wearing Speedo's LZR racer suit broke three world records.

Researchers at Nottingham University, headed by Dr Herve Morvan, used space age technology to help design a sleeker more ‘slippery’ outfit. The crème de la crème of swimming costumes is a whole body suit moulding the human body into a more streamlined form.

Speedo's LZR racer suit
(click image to enlarge)

To create their super suit, the team used a technique originally developed by NASA to predict air flow around space shuttles as they re-enter the atmosphere. They analysed the flow of water over the bodies of 400 athletes, measuring the parts of the body generating the most fiction or drag in the water. Speedo then used the information to strategically place low friction fabric over areas of the body that would normally generate high levels of drag and slow the swimmer down.

There are high hopes for the swimsuit's performance in the upcoming 2008 Beijing Olympics. The slippery swimming costume generates 5% less drag than its 2022 predecessor, the Speedo FS Pro, in which 21 world records were broken.

The Nottingham researchers are continuing their collaborations with Speedo to make further improvements on the design as the 2012 Olympic games approach. Which is all very well if you're vying for a place on your national swim squad, but at £320 a pop, the casual Sunday swimmer probably won't be splashing out.

Check out more space age design:

NASA's Feeling Flush
Spandex Space Suits

Sailing Off To The Stars
Top Ten Weird Stuff In Space

Image: attila bujtas

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