Know Your Olympic Sports

Dumb jocks? Hardly. As the Olympics draws to a close, PopSci rounds up the cutting-edge science and technology athletes are using to go farther and faster than ever before

Table Tennis

Speed glue, robots and more. Learn why ping pong truly is the sport of champions

Running

Swifter suits, shoes that lean and gaming the pistol are just the beginning of the tech innovations giving track the runaround this summer


Synchronized Swimming

Think it's a sissy sport? Think again. A look at the arduous training, high-tech speakers and super-strong hair paste involved in keeping those swimmers peak

Volleyball

Smacking a ball over a net calls for some surprising technology

Softball

A look at the advanced tools players are using to stay sharp—even as softball's last hurrah nears a close

Swimming

The athletes, the water, and the technology

Gymnastics

A slew slew of high-tech innovations have vaulted gymnastics to the forefront

Synchronized Swimming (Round Two)

A high-tech, swimsuit-bound light show has landed Spain's team in hot water

Filming Beijing

Bringing every action second packed second to millions of viewers takes some serious gadgetry

Equestrian

The largest athletes need high-tech toys too

Field Hockey

Bending it like Beckham, special shoes, and one very hot training chamber are all part of the making of a modern player

Doping Beijing

The drugs behind the door

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speedy The Fastest Swimsuit on Earth
"At the Beijing Olympic pool, perhaps the only star bigger than Michael Phelps was his swimsuit. The Speedo LZR (pronounced "laser"), like Phelps, didn't disappoint: 16 of the 32 gold-medal winners wore the full-body suit, and another 13 wore LZR pants."
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speedy A Finish that Repairs Itself
"It won't save you from a key-gouging vandal, but the finish on the 2008 Infiniti EX and FX-model SUVs can erase scrapes caused by, say, car washes or stray branches."
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speedy Boeing Advanced Tactical Laser
"Truck-mounted IED-destroying lasers have already been tested in Iraq, but firing lasers from an airplane is a more difficult proposition."
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speedy A Spit Test for Heart Attacks
"This year, San Antonio EMT crews began using a spit test that detects cardiac arrest faster, more accurately and more cheaply than other diagnostic tests."

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