The Mizuno brand uniforms that a large part of the Japanese team will wear at the next Paris 2024 Olympic Games will use a special material capable of absorbing infrared light. The purpose is very specific: to prevent the possible effect of cameras or smartphones equipped with infrared sensors, to avoid what happened at the last Tokyo 2020 Olympics, when several athletes were exposed on social media with photographs showing what they were wearing under their clothes.
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Technology in Olympic uniforms against infrared lights
The uniforms developed by Mizuno, conceptually similar to the surfaces of airplanes that are invisible to radar, will prevent the action of prying cameras, creating a kind of shield to provide greater privacy for athletes.
Three years ago it was the case that some athletes participating in the Olympic Games in Japan had been photographed with infrared sensors or cameras that revealed their underwear or the shape of their body, even in the most private parts. The photos were later published on social networks, accompanied by captions and comments of a sexual nature, creating a scandal of great proportions on Japanese soil.
In fact, infrared sensors are particularly effective at penetrating very thin and light materials (such as sports uniforms) and are even converted into X-rays that penetrate even plastic casings and allow observation of the hardware internal of the devices, as in the case of the camera of the OnePlus 8 Pro phone.
Mizuno’s anti-infrared system for Japanese Olympic athletes’ uniforms in action.
Courtesy: Mizuno
Mizuno developed the coating technology in collaboration with Japanese companies Sumitomo Metal Mining and Kyodo Printing for the selection of components and production of the garments.
As shown in the image above, the results are comforting, making the “C” on the other side of the two layers of fabric almost completely imperceptible. All this, while ensuring maximum comfort during sporting efforts and also encouraging the body to breathe, since one of the biggest concerns of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is precisely the extreme temperatures that will accompany the entire event.
Article originally published in WIRED Italia. Adapted by Andrei Osornio.
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