Speedo has today stepped into the future to unveil Fastskin 4.0, a concept swimsuit based on the brand’s vision of how swimwear will look in the year 2040.
Aqualab, the Speedo research & development team, has looked at the evolution of current swimsuits and forecasted technological advancements to create a suit that pushes the boundaries of innovation in the sport.
Fastskin 4.0 focuses on three key areas of innovation: customisation, speed performance and sustainability. The brand predicts it could lead to an improvement of up to 4% across sprint events by 2040, including finally breaking the 20-second barrier in the men’s 50m freestyle and the 60-second barrier in the women’s 100m breaststroke.
Fastskin 4.0 features…
- AI predictions and 3D scanning create individually tailored suits that fit every muscle and contour of an athlete’s body.
- Shark Skin 4.0 Boosters help the swimmer flow through the water
- Bio-engineered fabrics, using genetically modified bacteria, biodegrade 80% of the suit at the end of its life.
- Adaptive Smart Lock seals make it easy to slip on and off, with customised compression.
- AI Live Coach monitors the athlete’s vitals pre, during and post races and provide live coaching on technique, position and pace. This will be powered through the Energy harvesting fabric, which converts every race into energy.
Dr Rob Blenkinsopp, Head of Aqualab R&D, says: “For 20 years now, our Fastskin series has taken inspiration from everywhere we look, from the natural world to outer space. This was about seeing what’s possible in another two decades and the result is Fastskin 4.0. The future is about to get very fast.”
Team Speedo star, Duncan Scott, says: “Ever since I was a young swimmer, Speedo has been leading the way in terms of technology and it is great to know that they are always working away in the background to make sure that we have the very best suit possible.
“I’m quite jealous of the next generation of swimmers who will have the support of all this work. The AI Live Coach would be a complete game changer; I just hope it’s a computer voice and not my own coach!”
Whilst Fastskin 4.0 is a vision of the future, Speedo is also leading the way in the present with its LZR Pure Intent and LZR Pure Valor suits. Since their launch in 2019, the suits have been responsible for 62.5% of all world records to fall in that period and look set for a big summer in Tokyo, where they will be worn by some of the biggest names in swimming as Speedo continues to trailblaze in the sport.
