Adidas Clima TechFit Olympic powersuits

Athletes may look a little, um, avant garde wearing their spanking new Adidas Clima TechFit suits, but apparently these outfits offer a variety of benefits not found anywhere else to Turin Olympians this year. Designed to optimize bodily efficiency, reduce oxygen consumption, and muscle energy output, Clima TechFit suits utilize thermoplastic urethane "compression strips" to link the wearers' appendages to the center body mass (they call this Powerweb, which was until now our working nickname for Web 2.0). Does all this work? Well, studies have shown a 5.3% increase in energy output and 1.1% faster sprint in a 30 meter dash, which could well be the difference between a Gold and a Bronze, or no medal at all. Why you'd need this getup for firing your rifle, however, is entirely beyond us.

[Via Gizmag]

[dreampc @ Feb 20th 2006 10:05AM]

"Why you'd need this getup for firing your rifle, however, is entirely beyond us."

Triathalon?

[Mole @ Feb 20th 2006 10:05AM]

biathlon = shooting and _skiing_

[Kenny @ Feb 20th 2006 10:06AM]

>> "Why you'd need this getup for firing your rifle, however, is entirely beyond us."

Biathlon maybe?

[chris @ Feb 20th 2006 10:09AM]

because, in the Olypics, shooting first requires miles on end of cross country skiing

[Lucas @ Feb 20th 2006 10:28AM]

QUADRATHLON?!
QUINTAHALTON?!
MIAGLATRILLIONATHLON!?

[Jim @ Feb 20th 2006 10:32AM]

Americans are ignorant about the biathlon mostly because the American television networks refuse to run any coverage of it.

Why?? ....Because they are very anti-gun.

Just wouldn't do to show responsible young adults safely handling and showing expertise with firearms.

[Jeff Hedglin @ Feb 20th 2006 10:40AM]

And bondage gear helps increase viewership.

[JT @ Feb 20th 2006 10:44AM]

A bit old, but still worth mentioning ((c) Seinfeld)

Some of the events in the Olympics don't make sense to me.
I don't understand the connection to any reality...
Like in the Winter Olympics they have that biathlon.
That combines cross-country skiing with shooting a gun.
How many alpine snipers are into this?
Ski, shoot a gun... ski, bang, bang, bang...
It's like combining swimming and strangle a guy.

[Chris @ Feb 20th 2006 10:54AM]

I think that outfit looks like Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid.

[Chris Carpenter @ Feb 20th 2006 10:56AM]

Trust me, when you have to hit a target 50 meters away, about 4 cm across you're gonna want a steady hand. This of course after just skied a few km! Oh and dreampc, triathon is swim, bike, run and they wear even less!

[Tyler @ Feb 20th 2006 10:58AM]

#5.

1.Countercurrent bloodflow deals more with not radiating heat outwards from the skin surface. By vasoconstricting surface veins and dilating deep arteries, a layer of heat insulation is created. Less heat gets to the skin, thereby reducing heat loss to the environment due to convection and radiation. Yes, the visceral shunt is thrown in there, but that really is different from countercurrent blood flow.

2. Thermoplastic means changing shape with heat change, not conducting heat. The thermoplastic urethane is simply molded using heat and resists shape change at low temperatures. These webs are linked to the core for one purpose: to act as an anchor. They do not transmit heat from the core to the extremities. The core acts as the proximal anchor, similar to muscle attachments. In effect, they act as an added muscle

In low temperatures, the thermoplastic resists stretching slightly. By pulling against them during a phase of movement, potential energy is increased in the web. During the counterphase of movement, the added potential energy is converted to kinetic, aiding the muscle groups. This is what returns the effiency and power. By properly fitting and aligning the web, in theory (and it seems in practice), the loss of power is minimized and return of energy maximized.

3. Synthetics are not used so much for insulative purposes as they are for drying. You sweat like mad during activity. The more fit a person, the greater and faster the sweat response. These guys are elite athletes, so they are going to sweat a lot. Synthetics allow water to be wicked away from the skin and to the surface of the clothing much faster than cotton and with an added benefit. All natural fibers (with the exception of wool) pull body heat away from the skin with the water, effectively cooling a person. Synthetics don't. So, they allow for the athlete to dry off faster, preventing loss of core temperature.

Believe me, at the level of aerobic activity those biathletes are performing, they're not going to worry about the cold that much.

[vitamin G @ Feb 20th 2006 11:10AM]

Just a quick nota bene: The percentage of body heat lost through the head is closer to 10-30% than 75%. Trust me, I'm bald, I know things about heat loss.

here's a quick referential link:
http://www.soundmedicine.iu.edu/segment.php4?seg=335

[Tulio @ Feb 20th 2006 11:27AM]

80 Hair bands wore these at one time. Oh wait that was spandex..

[Yale R @ Feb 20th 2006 11:28AM]

Rubber-band powered athletes! They removed the little wind-up key to save weight on the outfit.

[Yale R @ Feb 20th 2006 11:42AM]

Rubber-band powered athletes! They removed the little wind-up key to save weight on the outfit.

[carl @ Feb 20th 2006 11:49AM]

Whoa, the sarcasm detectors are off today. The engadget writer was probably kidding about the biathlon thing...

[Smittie @ Feb 20th 2006 11:50AM]

The suit is needed to fire a rifle because that is an olympic event called the biathlon, as other have already mentioned. I suspect that the chose this particular event out of the many because the next market they would like to sell this technology into is the military. Just a guess.

Aloha

[Steve @ Feb 20th 2006 12:24PM]

The "compression webbing" in the butt crack may explian the improved running speed. If my coach told me to put that thing on I would faster just to get away.

[Brock @ Feb 20th 2006 12:38PM]

Where can you buy them at ?

[Alex @ Feb 20th 2006 12:43PM]

Looks like a Dominatrix disguise if you ask me.

[Finished.Law.School @ Feb 20th 2006 12:54PM]

Too bad this did not help the US team hit ANY targets.

[Brian @ Feb 20th 2006 1:11PM]

Until it recycles my pee into drinking water, I ain't buying one.

[Bryan Kennedy @ Feb 20th 2006 1:14PM]

Damn, he's a hottie.

[oshean @ Feb 20th 2006 2:52PM]

At what point will they prohibit the use of all synthetic performance enhancers? They have outlawed drugs, soon it will be the athletes apparel.

[Stewert D @ Feb 20th 2006 2:58PM]

And I thought Aeon Flux wore these for looks only!

[Stewert D @ Feb 20th 2006 2:58PM]

And I thought Aeon Flux wore these for looks only!
http://www.gizmag.com/picture.php?s=24&p=5234_20020661036.jpg

[mb @ Feb 20th 2006 2:59PM]

17: damn you beat me to it.

[aserlfgha;eri @ Feb 20th 2006 3:22PM]

Actually showing a biathlete (model) in this suit is showing off the features in two ways.

As stated above, the Adidas suit consists of tensile bands connecting extremities to core. As stated in the copy, this is a benefit for efficiency in motive activities, skiing, running, etc.

In Olympic marksmenship, the shooters wear an odd suit that not only makes the position more comfortable, it is perfectly restrictive in the final positition: the shooter's limbs all pull up tight against the suit so standing, seated or supine, the shooter's body is stressed against itself. These suits currently are no where near as ...um... flashy, but providing even an approximation of this tensioning benefit to a biathlete would be a considerable advantage.

And no, I am not referring to a "Ghillie" suit, that's strictly for camouflage.

[Chris @ Feb 20th 2006 3:25PM]

I wouldn't be shocked to see this or something like it on a banned equipment list. They've got banned substances and something like this will be next. The skiers are wearing fancy suits that help them, the swimmers do too, runners wear clothing and special shoes.... I could see a weight lifter wearing something like this. I'm not sure what a "5.3% increase in energy output" means to someone competing in the clean and jerk (giggles to himself) but I'm sure it would help. The rate the drug testing is going and with this kind of proliferation in equipment you won't be able to compete in the olympics unless you haven't taken asprin in the last 12 months and you'll have to compete nude. Maybe that's what it takes to boost TV ratings ;)

[ranron @ Feb 20th 2006 3:30PM]

#21: You final statement about competing in nude? Well that will set the event back to the way it is supposed to be performed (as in Ancient Greece) were men competed in nude. I guess the only change is there are nude women too?

[granny down east @ Feb 20th 2006 4:35PM]

#22, Chris
"you'll have to compete nude"

well, the ancient Greeks did, and I'll bet it would boost TV ratings now.

[lol @ Feb 20th 2006 5:02PM]

Turin? As in, The Shroud of?
WTF...

[nate @ Feb 20th 2006 5:35PM]

I just wanted to second Chris' comment at #8. Dude's totally wearing a sneaking suit

[zip22 @ Feb 20th 2006 6:51PM]

how can this increase your energy? i understand it can store it, but that means YOU have to put it there. the first law of thermodynamics. so even though it may feel like its snapping back quicker, its only because it took you more energy to get it there in the first place.

[Cuba @ Feb 21st 2006 12:44AM]

Exacly when is this going to stop? Are we going to see weightlifters in powered suits lifting 3.26 tonnes in 20 years? I thought the Olympics/sport was about YOU performing your best, not you performing your best then getting a 10% boost from you clothes.

Unless everyone wears the same thing, all this "performance enhancing clothing" should be banned.

[Av4rice @ Feb 21st 2006 5:43AM]

#29: Not all the energy and movement expended by an athlete goes into the actual task. The human body isn't perfect (especially at certain sports) and inadvertently uses energy making movements that don't contribute to the goal. Athletics is about making your body produce more energy (so you have more to work with) as well as refining your form so that more of this energy goes towards what you're trying to do--a suit like this helps with the latter.

#30: A "powered" suit would obviously be a means of helping the former, which is quite a different matter. Clothing like this just makes sure less is wasted and more of YOUR body is put into the sport. It's the same reason swimming caps and tons of currently existing "normal" garb are allowed.

And like it or not, it's impossible to make things equal for every athlete. Richer countries can afford more advanced diets and training facilities for their athletes--or should equality be forced there as well? In which case there's really nothing a country contributes to its athletes' Olympic success beyond the luck of genetics if everything else from training to equipment must be the same.

[rench @ Feb 21st 2006 5:48AM]

this is big boss' sneaking suit, not solid snake's. she had the funky silver disco outfit.

[Blackflip @ Feb 21st 2006 8:58AM]

Hey, hes a german athlete, in order to win the olympics, they NEED this kind of equipement! LOL (FTR i'm German)

[dave a @ Jan 17th 2007 4:01AM]

so why they sarcasm, I've cross country skiied, it's great fun and if you are very good you compete, and if you compete you want the best gear. Are the sarcastic comments from overweight people who would be embarrassed to wear a tight suit, oops! sorry for the sarcasm