Innovations in technology are always changing the world around us. It is integrated in everything from transportation, education, medicine, and much more. The world of competitive sports is also one of those sectors that has been heavily influenced by the integration of technology.
Technology in sports has led to greater athlete performance, durability of products, and increases the safety of the sport. It is without a doubt in our modern age that sports rely heavily on hi-tech innovations to increase that competitive nature within the athlete. More specifically, the integration of nanotechnology within sports products and equipment has done that for the athlete.
"Nanotechnology is technology that manipulates the size of matter down to the nanoscale." said Doctor Mujaibur Khan, engineering and research associate professor. "The behavior of materials is different at the quantum level, making matter stronger and durable, but yet still light and flexible."
This is why scientists are integrating the use of nano-materials into sports. It creates a better product to help with the athlete's performance.
The use of nanotechnology is not new in a sense. In fact, according to Doctor Khan, nanotechnology has been around for thousands of years and dates back to the Roman Empire. The first uses were seen in metal swords in this era, however, the nano-particles were used unknowingly at the time, Doctor Khan said.
But the biggest threat to the competitive nature of the athlete is the use of technology itself. There is great debate that using nanotechnology in sports gives athletes too much of a technological advantage and takes away from healthy competition based on athleticism.
Swimming is a popular sport that is well known for using nano-materials in swimmer's tech suits. These tech suits are infused with fibers that have been manipulated down to the nanometer, making the suit thin and tight to conform to the swimmer, and waterproof to minimize the swimmer's water resistance.
Katherine Jones, a highly competitive swimmer for nine years, used nanotechnology infused tech suits when she became a mature swimmer. She believes that the use of her tech suit truly helped her as a swimmer, mentally, rather than physically. She stated that she never depended on it to help her athletically though.
"I believe that it [nano-material infused tech suits]does help increase a swimmer's performance because it gives the athlete a mental boost, knowing that they are using a product that is working in their favor," said Jones." However, I never depended on it athletically though, I always performed on my own abilities and not the suit."
But, spectators of the sports world are still skeptical of this technology due to experiences seen already in the Olympics.
In 2008, 98% of the medals won in the swimming competition at the Olympics, was by swimmers who wore the Speedo Full-body LZR suit, according to Scientific American. Due to this, FINA (International Swimming Federation) banned the use of the suit in further games because it is considered an example of "technology doping."
Technology doping is a newer term coming into play now with the rise of nano-materials in sports. This term refers to the practice of gaining a competitive advantage by using technological sports equipment.
However, for several athletes they do not see it in this light.
Marcia Shaw, a collegiate competitive swimmer at the University of North Florida, believes that technology doping does not apply to every competitive athlete.
"When you go to a swim meet, you focus on the swimmer, you look at their stats and their records, not what they are wearing," said Shaw. "For myself, I think it depends on the sport, with competitive swimming there are only so many things allowed when you step up to a race, and there are already regulations in place regulating some equipment."
As for the great debate of the use of nanotechnology in sports, Khan, Jones, and Shaw can all agree that there is still much of a gray area of nanotechnology in sports and where the line should be drawn between the athlete and the technology.
The use of nanotechnology in sports shows the integration of technology and its vast impact it has on all sectors of life. As for the future of nano-materials in sports, what it can do is unknown but has the chance to revolutionize the competitive sport scene.