shark-skinlikeswimsuit
Anewhigh-performanceswimsuit,developedbymimickingtheskinofsharks,willbewornbytopathletesinAthensfromthisweek.
Therevolutionarynewfabric,developedbySpeedo,istheresultoffouryearsofresearchanddevelopmentthatbeganwiththestudyofsharkskinattheNaturalHistoryMuseum.
Thenewswimsuit,calledFastskinFSII,increasesaswimmer'sspeedbyreducingpassivedragthroughwaterbyupto4%morethanthenextbestswimsuit.
ResearchintosharkskintextureandmovementthroughwaterwascarriedoutundertheguidanceofNaturalHistoryMuseumfishexpertOllieCrimmen.
Tiny'teeth'coverthesurfaceofashark'sskinandtheshapeandpositioningofthese'teeth'varyacrossthebodytomanagetheflowofwater.
WiththesefindingsSpeedocreatedafull'bodyskin'withdifferentfabricsondifferentpartsofthebodyandforthefirsttime,male-andfemale-specificandstroke-specificswimsuits.