TIME's Best Inventions of 2008

The Other 49 Best Inventions

Speedo

26. The Speedo LZR Racer

Article Tools

Ninety-four percent. That's the percentage of Olympic swimming races won in Beijing by athletes wearing the LZR, a second-skin suit that's the first to be made with ultrasonically bonded seams. The LZR, which was co-designed by nasa experts, comes with a built-in corset to improve buoyancy and is constructed with compression fabric that keeps muscles from vibrating in the water. All of which was enough to ensure victory for Michael Phelps a history-making eight times — including a 0.01-sec. win in the 100-m butterfly. Phelps, however, was wearing only the bottom half of the suit (to keep his shoulders from being constricted), while the silver medalist had donned the full-body version. Which makes you wonder just how much faster he might have gone ...

See pictures of the 2008 Olympics.

View the full list for "TIME's Best Inventions of 2008"

Next: 27. Bubble Photography >>

Cast Your Vote

Gadget of the Year

Which gadget is most useful or influential? Browse the nominees and cast your vote.

Invention of the Year

The Retail DNA Test

Your genome used to be a closed book. Now a simple, affordable test can shed new light on everything from your intelligence to your biggest health risks. Say hello to your dna — if you dare