Athletes' sweat test road to glory

Track athletes in Ireland preparing for the 2012 Olympics have been testing a device designed to improve performance by optimising their hydration levels during training.

Dehydration can undermine both mental and physical performance, including causing tiredness and cramping.

Analysis of sweat samples taken after training is unreliable because the key compounds oxidise when in contact with air. "It does not give a real measure of what is happening during exercise," says Fernando Benito Lopez at the Clarity Centre for Sensor Web Technologies at Dublin City University.

To tackle the problem, Benito Lopez and colleagues have developed a device that assesses hydration levels while athletes are training. It is based on an absorbent pad strapped to the athlete's body, which draws sweat through a narrow channel containing pH sensors.