If you seen Team USA Olympic swimming team live on TV from Beijing like I do, you can’t help but be in awe with their world record performances. For example, they smashed the 400 freestyle relay old record by 3 seconds off their old mark!

And part of their secret is using a flaw measurement technique called Digital Particle Image Velocimetry invented by a professor of fluid mechanics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Basically the concept behind his experimental measuring techniques is to help, identify the flaws in the swimmer movement. To know where most of the energy goes to and improve on it to shave and and gain precious milliseconds during swimming

Professor Timothy Wei was quoted “We have the physical system, we’re taking flow measurements of actual swimmers, and we’re getting more information than anyone has ever had before about swimming and how the swimmer interacts with the water. And so far, these techniques have contributed to some very significant improvements in the lap times of Olympic swimmers.”

via source