The World reported at Paris 2024 Summer OlympicsOlympic athletes from Japan’s volleyball, track and field and other teams will compete in suits made from a new fabric that can better absorb infrared light. Similar to how stealth aircraft avoid detection by deflecting radar signals away from detectors, this fabric absorbs and blocks infrared light from reaching cameras and infrared sensors. It could help put an end to the practice of secretly photographing athletes.
According to The Japan Times In 2020, athletes complained to the Japanese Olympic Committee after discovering that “photos taken with infrared cameras were being shared on social media with sensitive captions.” Since then, Mizuno, Sumitomo Metal Mining and Kyodo Printing have worked together to develop a new fabric that is stretchy enough to be used in sportswear while also protecting athletes.
Sports, fashion and technology go hand in hand, especially when it comes to innovative materials. At Paris Olympicssome Japanese athletes will wear costumes made from a new fabric that can absorb infrared light.
Wearing clothes made from this new fabric is not to improve performance or anything like that, but to prevent peepers from peeping at the athletes’ bodies.
Spying on athletes is nothing new, but thermal cameras are a surprising addition to the story. Infrared cameras detect heat emitted by objects—in this case, the body. They work by capturing infrared radiation, which is invisible to the human eye but can be felt as heat. Essentially, some thermal devices can reveal a person’s body or underwear through thin athletic clothing, revealing their contours.
In experiments shared by Mizuno, a black “C” was printed underneath a layer of “competition uniform fabric” and a new infrared-absorbing fabric, all of which were almost completely obscured when photographed with an infrared camera. The results suggest that this type of uniform could protect athletes from predators while still keeping participants cool and comfortable.
Some devices have inadvertently demonstrated how infrared sensors used in night vision goggles and thermal cameras can reveal things that are invisible. When used on people, infrared photography can reveal a person’s body contours or the underwear they wear under thin clothing, such as those worn by athletes.
