Speedo, the name that illicits snicker on U.S. beaches, (but are considered normal beach attire everywhere else in the world, as well as the swim competition circuit), has released a high tech racing suit to celebrate the company's 80th anniversary. The suit, called the LZR Race, is more body suit than da dun da dun, and was developed with the assistance of the world's fastest swimmers.

The suit is contructed of water repellent and fast drying fabric that Speedo has dubbed LZR Pulse. teh company says it is the world's first fully bonded swimsuit that is ultrasonically welded, so as to give the effect that no seams are present to drag the swimmer down. It has 10 percent less passive drag than Speedo's FASTSKIN FSII, and 5 percent less passive drag than Speedo's FASTSKIN PRO, which swimmers have worn to break 21 world records since its introduction in March 2007. Not sure if its the swimmer or the suit, but that is pretty impressive.

Speedo scanned the bodies of more than 400 elite swimmers to determine the construction of the suit and used several labs, including the NASA Langley Research Center and Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and Otago University in New Zealand. Speedo used Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software from ANSYS, Inc. to crunch all the data it collected to develop the suit.

The result is a 3D anatomical shape with a Core Stabilizer that hugs the body to maintain the best body position while swimming. The company also claims it gives swimmers 5 percent more efficiency with regard to oxygen intake. The suits will set you back between $290 and $550. www.speedo.com

Posted at 11:38AM Feb 13, 2008 by John Virata in Astound  |  Comments[0]