SPORTS: technology for a better race

In the above cartoon, it portrays a scene where “Mcwit” has an edge over the other competitors in the race because of his long nose. In other words, this edge can be seen as an advantage over the other competitors. Sports races are very close and the 1^st and 2^nd placings may only have a difference of milliseconds, one may not make it to the finals of the race because he has missed the timing by milliseconds. Thus, a little difference means a lot in the sporting world, namely racing sports. However, if one has the suitable technology, he may be able to have an advantage or an edge over the other competitors who do not have the same level of technology as one does. This is clearly shown in the cartoons above. I am going to talk more about the technology advancement in the world of swimming, a race sport.

In the competitive world of swimming, nothing is too extreme to consider in efforts to shave fractions of a second off a swimmer's finish time. Thus, more and more people and coaches are turning to technology to make swimmers win the race in a faster timing, every millisecond counts. So it should come as no surprise that shaved bodies and full body skinsuits have been joined by the latest computer technology. Aided by advanced modelling and simulation software, helps elite swimmers achieve their perfect swim stroke.

Full body skinsuits

The most significant full body skinsuit that made it big, especially during the Olympics was the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit. The design was inspired by the unique skin structure of the shark. The Fastskin can be considered Speedo's most sophisticated and technologically advanced solution to aiding competitor's speed through water. The suit was developed and trialed over several years by a team that included scientists, a bio mechanist, a shark expert, a computer clothing company, a Japanese textile company, a swimming coach, and swimmers.

The research team realised that the shark’s unique structure of its skin enabled it to reduce drag and move through the water faster. From this idea, they developed a 'skin' for swimmers with a texture that mimicked the dermal denticles (tooth shaped forms) on a sharks skin. Made from a knitted super-stretch nylon/elastane/polyester fabric the Fastskin features V shapes ridges and a denticle surface print. In water the effect of these surfaces combine, with large vortices formed by the fabric print flowing in the opposite direction to the small vortices formed in the fabric ridges. This ensures the water is sucked closer to the body which reduces friction drag on the swimmer by allowing surrounding water to pass over more effectively. The fabric also compresses the muscles reducing muscle and skin vibration which decreases fatigue and power loss.
Description above taken and edited from http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:ynLJKQbTv6YJ:www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/%3Firn%3D350066+fastskin+features&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=sg

Similarly, in other sports such as skating, cycling, running, and such, full body skinsuits are in high demand to reduce air resistance and hopefully make one go faster. A lot of attention is given to air resistance. The rules demand that the suits follow the natural shape of the body, preventing the use of e.g. drop shaped helmets (as seen in cycling) or more inventive "Donald Duck" costumes. However, a lot of time and money is spent developing fabrics, cuts and seams that will reduce drag. Some skaters use low (no thicker than 3 mm) "aerodynamic strips" attached to their suits. These are intended to create turbulent flow in certain areas around the body.

From all the above examples of technology sports people seek to train with, it is fair to say that everyone has a common goal of winning, which draws people from different parts of the world together, encouraging globalization. In major competitions like the Olympics, people from different parts of the world come together in one place to compete against each other for the coveted gold medal, world record or Olympic record. The act of drawing everyone together with a common interest and goal is globalization. Thus, evidently, technology in sports encourages globalization as it compels the competitive spirit in people and makes them have similar aspirations of winning, and turning the world into a more globalized place.

TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERT
ISABELLE