Swimmers will stop at nothing to shave a few milliseconds off their times, and if that means shaving their head bald, or taking a dip in a vat of Vaseline, so be it. At this summer’s Olympics in Beijing, you’ll see a number of swimmers trying to gain an edge by wearing Speedo’s new LZR Racer, the world’s fastest swimsuit.

Developed with the help of NASA and the Australian Institute of Sport, the suit has a 3D anatomical shape with a core stabilizer that has a corset-like grip so swimmers can maintain an optimal body position in the water. It is also “ultrasonically welded” to give the effect of no seams.

At the Olympics, the LZR Racer could be the difference between grabbing a gold and bronze medal. Of course, if I know those crafty Russians, they’ll all show up with muscle suits, and leave team Speedo in their wake.

Via Swimming World