Speedo has unveiled the design for the world’s first ‘smart’ wetsuit.
The Fastskin 4.0 is made from bio-engineered, genetically modified bacteria, with energy-harvesting fabric, a built in exoskeleton, and a surface designed to replicate shark skin.
The suit monitors oxygen saturation and hydration levels, and a core reactor equalises the body in the water.
Best of all, there is a built-in AI Live Coach.
“Proving itself to be the most intelligent suit ever, Fastskin 4.0 will feature an AI Live Coach, which sees AI micro-sensors printed into the suit’s structure which will monitor the athlete’s vitals pre, during and post races,” Speedo explains.
“The sensors will then provide live coaching on technique, pace, position and condition to an athlete mid-race through haptics.
“Once the race is over, swimmers will be able to monitor and control their recoveries by accessing data such as the body’s lactate levels, allowing them to swim down and rest up accordingly to be race ready as soon as possible.”
Dr Rob Blenkinsopp, head of research and development, at Aqualab, who developed the suit with Speedo, said: “We’ve looked at everything from fabrics and textures, to how we integrate intelligence in our suits and the result is Fastskin 4.0. The future is about to get very fast.”
There’s even an Adaptive Smart Lock Seal, which makes it easy to get in and out of the suit – the bane of every swimmer.
“Adaptive Smart Lock Seal helps make the suit easy to slip on and off whilst locking the body into place to give athletes total race confidence, customised compression and full body coverage,” Speedo explains.
“The seals around the neck, wrist and ankles automatically tighten to your preferred calibration without the need for zips or fasteners.”
Speedo are yet to reveal when we can expect the suit to hit the market, or how much it will cost.
