2012 Olympics: Pool Designed to Make Swimmers Faster

Those watching Olympic competitions on TV may not be aware of the high presence of technology and science behind the event. A good example of this is the London Aquatic Center pool, built especially for this year's Olympics. Based on scientific knowledge, engineers were able to create a pool that allows athletes to perform better while being faster than in other pools.

To understand how this works, just remember that throwing a stone into the river, for example, generates energy waves that travel through the water. In a swimming event, this effect is much more potent because of the athlete's strokes and leg movements. All the waves generated by the competitors make the pool more turbulent and, thus, the swimmer has his performance impaired.

Technology and science in favor of sport

In London, this problem has been solved with a number of measures that tend to absorb or dissipate these waves, reducing the turbulence of the environment in which competitors find themselves.

To begin with, the pool is three meters deep, which causes these waves to lose their force before reverberating deep within it. In addition, the edges of the competition venue also have cavities that help dissipate them. To top it off, the boundaries of each lane are made of plastic parts that spin when hit by the waves, thereby reducing their energy.

All of this makes the waters less choppy and provides a fairer environment for all competitors, as turbulence can be felt differently by those who swim in the middle or on the edge of the pool, for example.

Source: Live Science