Nike Innovations To Reduce Drag and Maximize Effort for US Olympic Team in Rio de Janeiro

Nike, proud partner of the United States Olympic Committee, yesterday unveiled a speed system for its track and field athletes.  

These Innovations will help US athletes who are going to participate in Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August this year.  

Nike’s new symbiotic track and field speed system which is customizable to the event and athlete; is expressly engineered to reduce that drag and maximize effort.

Nike’s track spikes and Nike Vapor track and field kits, which minimize weight via Nike AeroSwift technology featuring recycled polyester.

Allyson Felix wearing a Nike Vapor track and field kit with Nike AeroSwift technology and the Nike Zoom Superfly Flyknit spike (Image credit: Nike)  

There will be three significant innovations unveiled by Nike:  

AeroBlades – To reduce air drag  

It’s an adhesive tape with silicon-based spikes that runners will wear on various parts of their bodies at different distances based on what part of the body they are placed.  

AeroBlades prototypes were created using 3D printing technology and tested hundreds of different shapes in a wind tunnel.   It’s used to reduce wind resistance or aerodynamic drag during competition.

Image credit: ESPN  

“We were tasked to combat the enemy of fast and deliver on the athlete’s desire to look fast, feel fast and be fast,” said Martin Lotti, Nike’s vice president and creative director for categories and concepts, reports ESPN.   

Nike Wing – Sunglasses that protect from wind  

Weigh 4 grams less than traditional eyewear – these sunglasses will act as a performance enhancer and increase efficiency.  

The design is such that it uses a single piece of glass without hinges.  

It allows only red light through that gives a calming effect to the athletes.   

AeroSwift Bib – Breathable adhesive race bib  

It can directly stick onto the uniform and have a unique quality of withstanding extreme heat and rain.  

What Lotti says about this bib – “We spent all this time developing aerodynamic elements to a uniform, and then we would pin our bibs on with safety pins that were invented in 1849. Nike tested every condition possible in Rio to make sure that the bibs would not come off in any situation.”  

All three innovations were approved by the International Olympic Committee, reports ESPN.