Introduction
Olympic athletes including Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin, shown here, were among those whose body scans were used to build the suit.
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Testing the suit
Testing of the suit took place in pools, and also in water flumes.";
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More testing of the suit
The suit has 5 percent less passive drag than their last version (when coasting), while swimmers consumed 5 percent less oxygen at a specific speed — meaning they could swim faster.";
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Computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics, a form of numerical modeling, identified locations on the body that created the most drag and might benefit from the polyurethane panels. ";
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Polyurethane
In key locations on the suit, the woven fabric used in previous designs has been replaced by polyurethane membranes with 24 percent lower drag (it’s too stiff to use everywhere). ";
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Body scans
Body scanning of 400 elite athletes was completed to optimize shape, sizes and contours. ";
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Ultra-low profile zipper
If strands of leg hair can cause drag, imagine what a zipper might do. The suit has ultra low profile zippers for optimized aerodynamics.";
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Bonded seam
The suit has eliminated stitching and instead relies on ultrasonic welding to further reduce drag. ";
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Core stabilizer
A new core stabilizer provides additional support to help the athlete maintain good form throughout the race. ";
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The LZR racer
The result of all this is a near-perfect suit. When it was used for the first time at meets in Missouri and Australia, three world records and two American records fell.";
// END editorial data