You would think swimming would be the least likely sport to incorporate wearable electronics, but sensors, electrodes and displays could work under water.
Thomas Bull Laursen, leading researcher at the Arhus Institute of Sport in Denmark, says professional swimming is emerging as the next Olympic sport to incorporate wearable electronics.
Laursen claims there is no real danger for using stretchable, flexible electronics in a swimming pool. It is possible to coat sensors with organic or silicon layers. Lycra is a rugged, durable and flexible material, plus the sensor technology is available to make an accurate but watertight electronic monitoring system.
There is now increased demand among sports scientists to use real-time competition data. This is viewed as pure, true, quantitative data.
'Athletes perform differently in conditions where the pressure is on and are motivated through adrenalin. Much of the high-tech analysis that goes on now is carried out through filming swimmers in small lab-based pools that are very small. There is hardly any room in these mini pools and analysis is slow and very expensive,' Laursen adds.
Time saver
Ian Pearson, a technology consultant in the UK, says swimsuit designers are now working with shark skin to create a more streamline body suit for professional swimmers. 'By mimicking the smooth but robust skin properties of sharks, there is potential to shave 100ths of a second off a personal best time and could make the difference between silver and gold.'
Pearson also says the leading sports brands are trying to embed wafer-thin, low-power electronic displays or indicators on the back of a swimmer's suit, to advertise their products underwater, ultimately tapping a new advertising opportunity for sports brands and sponsors.
'Of course the display would have to be sealed cleverly to the suit material, but there is an option to develop moving logos on the swimmer's back, so television cameras can spot them on a bird's eye view.'
A simple LED display could also be attached on the wrist that informs swimmers on their speed or heart rate during a race, says Pearson.