In this blog post, we will look at the impact of cutting-edge swimsuits on sports records and the role of science and technology.
The 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome remained controversial long after the competition ended. The reason was that Paul Biedermann, a relatively unknown swimmer, beat Michael Phelps, the swimming king who had won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, to win the gold medal in the 200-metre freestyle. Phelps, who had been considered unbeatable in the 200-metre freestyle, was defeated by Phelps, who had been considered unbeatable. Phelps, who had failed to win a single medal at the Beijing Olympics, rose to the top of the world in just one year. Was it really possible to achieve such an amazing feat through hard work alone? If so, Phelps would have been recognised as the new swimming emperor instead of being at the centre of controversy. However, many people believed that Beiderman’s amazing achievements were due to his high-tech swimsuit. At the time, the high-tech swimsuits set more than 130 world records.
High-tech swimsuits are basically full-body swimsuits. The stretchy full-body swimsuits reduce water and air resistance and minimise muscle movement throughout the body, thereby reducing muscle fatigue. The material used in state-of-the-art swimsuits is neoprene, which is based on polyurethane that does not absorb water. Polyurethane is lighter than water, highly waterproof, and has excellent buoyancy. In swimming, kicking generates propulsion and buoyancy, and wearing a swimsuit with high buoyancy allows most of the kicking power to be used for propulsion, which helps improve performance. In addition, the surface of cutting-edge swimsuits hides the secret to improving records. The fabric of cutting-edge swimsuits contains small protrusions called ‘riblets,’ which allow water to flow easily over the surface, reducing surface resistance. Riblets are typically triangular in shape, modelled after shark scales, but there are also shapes similar to the grooves on airplane wings. The reason why riblets reduce surface resistance is as follows. Small whirlpools called ‘vortex phenomena’ occur near the surface of the swimsuit, which act as a kind of friction that pulls the athlete’s body backward. When small protrusions called riblets are applied, the vortex phenomenon only acts on the upper part of the riblets, so only a relatively narrow surface is affected by surface resistance, which helps improve performance. As you can see, in today’s sports world, it is said that science is indispensable for improving skills and performance. The relationship between science and sports is so close that there is even a joke about ‘science doping.’
In addition, the advent of high-tech swimsuits has had a major impact not only on swimming but also on other water sports. Sports such as canoeing, rowing, and even surfing have seen remarkable improvements in performance with the introduction of technologies that reduce body resistance and enable faster speeds. These technological innovations have brought about major changes in the world of sports, requiring new changes in the training methods and strategies of athletes.
There is much research and discussion about how scientific and technological developments are changing the future of sports and what direction they will take in the future. In addition, special materials called ‘dream materials’ are being researched and used in various sports to improve performance and safety. As such, even in fields related to our daily lives, such as sports, the development of new and superior materials is essential to usher in a new era.
Materials engineering is the foundation for the development of all fields, including precision machinery, electrical and electronic engineering, aerospace, energy engineering, and environmental engineering. Looking back on history, we classify human civilisation into the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. This classification is based on the materials used to make the tools used by people at that time, which can be used to gauge the level of civilisation. From this perspective, civilisations that fail to develop superior materials will naturally be eliminated, and the same is true in relations between countries, where the development of superior materials directly translates into national competitiveness. In Korea, the development of the machinery industry, including the automobile and shipbuilding industries, which have greatly contributed to Korea’s emergence as an industrialised country, is underpinned by reliable steel materials, while the development of cities, construction, and civil engineering is underpinned by various weapon materials. Behind the development of the semiconductor industry, which is essential for information and communication technology, there have been countless efforts by materials engineers to develop processes, and efforts are being made to develop new types of plastic materials for a new world that will be opened up by the wellness, bio, and ubiquitous industries. As such, materials engineering has always played a central role in solving problems and is an important part of national competitiveness.
Furthermore, the development of materials engineering is a key factor in creating a sustainable future. In order to respond to environmental issues and resource depletion, it is becoming increasingly important to develop environmentally friendly materials and renewable resources. This is not limited to the industrial sector, but is also bringing about major changes in our daily lives. For example, environmentally friendly materials such as bioplastics are helping to reduce plastic use and solve waste problems. These materials are biodegradable and decompose naturally after use, placing no burden on the environment. The development of materials that increase energy efficiency is also important. High-efficiency solar panels, energy storage devices, and electric vehicle batteries are all technologies made possible by advances in materials engineering.
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Seoul National University is conducting research based on a diverse understanding of materials, such as polymer materials, metal materials, inorganic materials, biomaterials, and electronic materials, to bring out and maximise the performance required by humankind. As mentioned earlier, this research is being applied to various fields, from everyday life, such as sports, to future high-tech industries.
Just as humanity has evolved alongside changes in materials in the past, materials engineering will serve as a driving force for future development and prosperity. Materials engineering goes beyond mere academic research and has a significant impact on industry and society as a whole. Materials engineers are constantly striving to develop new materials and improve the performance of existing materials in preparation for the future.
These efforts will ultimately improve the quality of life for humanity and contribute to a better world. In the future, materials engineering will play an important role in solving the various challenges facing humanity and will continue to play a key role in sustainable development.
