The U.S. Olympic speed-skating team will be sporting some upgraded suits, as they race around the ice rink in Sochi this Saturday.
Using motion-capture technology, Under Armour teamed up with Lockheed Martin, an American aerospace and defense firm, to create better suits for the speed-skating team, according to New Scientist.
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Harnessing the same technology used to create artificial characters in movies such as Avatar, the team recorded the athletes, as they raced around the ice rink. They then built fiberglass mannequins in various skating poses based on the recordings. After dressing the mannequins in hundreds of different suits made out of various materials, the team placed them in a wind tunnel, and examined how different designs and materials affected the suits in the high-speed winds.
The results led to the creation of the Mach 39, a polyurethane ski suit that blocks airflow at certain parts of the body. The team also used different material at the thighs to reduce friction, and added dimples to back of the hood to make the suit more aerodynamic.
But the speed-skating suits aren’t the only pieces of Olympic gear to get an update for Sochi.
Omega, the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games, introduced a new electronic starting-signal system — replacing the traditional starter's gun — to start the races, according to The New York Times. When the electronic gun “fires,” the starting shot is played through speakers positioned behind each athlete; this is meant to make the races fairer by eliminating the potential advantage that athletes closest to the starter's gun previously had over those further away.
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Olympic supporters cheer at the finish line during the men's singles luge final on Feb. 9.
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