IT HAS taken three years and the help of space agency Nasa to create and is likely to shave just a fraction of a second from the times of the world's top swimmers.
But this suit could be the difference between a gold and a silver medal at this year's Olympics.
The LZR Racer, which is made by "welding" material together to give the effect of having no seams, is being touted by Speedo as the company's fastest-
ever costume.
Its new design, claims the firm, helps reduce drag, which slows swimmers as water passes along the surface of their skin or swimsuit.
Australian and British Olympic swimmers are expected to don the costume, which Speedo says reduces drag by 5 per cent more than its previous fastest suit, at the Beijing Games.
Technical tests involved more than 100 different fabrics and designs, and the space agency Nasa was drafted in to test the drag effect.
The Speedo suit will make its debut in national swimming trials from next month and a retail version is due to go on sale in May.
Allan Campbell, the head of the Central Scotland Institute of Sport, said any new technology which could boost an athlete's performance would be seen as a boon. But he questioned how much further technology could assist sportswomen and men at the top of their game.
He said: "I remember when these types of suits first came up – they certainly made people go faster, but there is the question of how far can they go.
"Athletes want anything that is going to give them that edge, so if it is legal and helps, the bottom line is athletes will go for it.
"But anything new that comes out has to make sure it comes under existing regulations."
Mr Campbell said that advances were being made in creating equipment for almost every sport. "Formula One is the most technological sport, but technology can affect all sports, even badminton.
"I was Scottish and Australian national coach for badminton and when lightweight racquets came out, it changed the sport radically."
However, Mr Campbell said technology can change some sports so much that the rules are then altered to ban the innovations.
He cited golf as an example where the rule-makers are limiting how big a driver can be.
"They are saying technology is going too far because it is changing the way people play. They can only go so far."
However, Mr Campbell pointed out that not all equipment advances caused such huge changes, and cited modern tops worn by footballers and rugby players.
He said: "The fabrics they are using now absorb sweat better so your body stays at the same temperature the whole time – it is very simple, but very effective."
And he agreed the innovative sportswear had an effect on what budding young athletes want to wear.
Mr Campbell said: "The youngsters all want to play like Andy Murray, so they want the racquet he is playing with or the shirt the top footballers are playing in.
"Most kids want to mimic their heroes – but they are not thinking they will buy this tennis racquet and start playing like him.
"However, the technologies which can help top athletes can help everyone."
Raleigh Gowrie, sports performance manager at Stirling University, said swimmers would be keen to try the new suit.
"Anything that gives someone any edge over their competitors within the boundaries of the sport would be carefully considered by athletes," he said.
"History shows that some technological aspects have helped sport, but where does it end?"
Mr Gowrie said technology in sport had come a long way from the days when swimmers wore caps to be more streamlined and golf balls were made of feathers and leather.
He added: "Technology helps performance, but there is also a challenge in that you can change the nature of the sport, and can change the optimum level of skill required to be effective in a sport.
"Traditionally, swimmers tried to overcome this drag by shaving their bodies and wearing swimming caps – now they are using these suits."
EVERY LITTLE THING COUNTS IN THE QUEST FOR VICTORY AND NEW SPORTING RECORDSIN THE science of sport, the smallest thing can mean the difference between winning and losing – and all disciplines have tried to gain the tiniest advantage.
Many of the resultant products have sent adults and children running to the shops to stock up on the equipment they think may help them play like a pro. English rugby team audiences now see a bit more of the players since the traditional baggy shirts were eschewed in favour of chest-hugging kits in revolutionary light material.
Nike produced the skin-tight jersey in 2003.
The sporting goldmine that is football boasts almost as many money-spinning bits of kit as it does high-earning players. The Adidas Predator boot, pictured, was first launched in 1994 and touted as a "superboot".
Developed from an idea of the former Liverpool player, Craig Johnston, it retailed at a whopping £120. Despite the hefty price tag, manufacturers said it was aimed at amateurs as well as professionals, and it has undergone a number of reissues since then. The cycling fraternity are as keen as the swimmers to shave the tiniest fractions of seconds off their times.
Even the relatively sedate and traditional world of golf goes wild for scientific advances in clubs and balls. The latest is the square-headed driver, which is apparently more forgiving of those pesky mishits.
The full article contains 929 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
