Swimming Pool Information: Swimming Machines

Swimming Pool Information: Swimming Machines

Swimming machines

Main article: Swimming machine

Another form of resistance swimming is that in which the swimmer is unrestrained and the water is set in motion by means of mechanical devices, such as jets, propellers or paddle wheels. Such an apparatus is also known as a countercurrent swimming machine, of which a number are presently available commercially. A prototype machine was used by the Columbia University swim team in the late eighties.

Swimming machines made their appearance in the 1970's, initially in the form of jetted streams.Some of these were criticized for causing turbulence and an un-natural swimming environment. They were followed up in the eighties and nineties by paddle-wheel and propeller-driven machines. These generated a smoother stream of water. Many users find them easy to swim in, but the machines are also criticized for being expensive, noisy, and wasteful of energy (consuming 6.5kW to 11kW of electricity just to set the water in motion).

Finally, there are exercise machines which allow a person to remain on dry land while simulating certain swimming strokes. These devices however can not compensate for the weight of the body and the limbs and thus deprive the user of the benefits of exercise in an aquatic environment.