Olympic swimwear makes waves.(Newsroom)

Coming soon to a television set near you: rippling bodies clad in sleek, space-age metallic bodysuits, masked in goggles, poised like lurking shadows.

Comic book superheroes? Not quite. These muscle-bound marvels are Olympic swimming hopefuls, donning the latest in high-tech swimwear at the Summer Games in Athens this August. Already, these next-generation, full-body swimsuits are making waves, garnering coverage on CNN and making headlines in The New York Times.

"It would be a jolt for viewers to see many swimmers competing in full-body swimsuits," said Craig Brommers, vice president of marketing at Speedo, based in Los Angeles.

The suits, which retail between $150 to $350, combine strategically placed ridges and ultra-smooth fabrics to reduce drag and significantly trim a swimmer's race time. But, as with previous Summer Olympics, the latest suits have stirred debate about their performance enhancements.

"They may make maybe 0.5 seconds difference on a 100-meter race," said Clive Rushton, director of coaching at Swimming New Zealand, based in Wellington.

Those 0.5 seconds are beyond crucial during competitions as intense and fast as Olympic swimming. Some worry the "performance-enhancing" swimwear detracts from the actual ability of the athlete. But Chris Wilmoth said the suit industry is only keeping up with the sport. "Technology in progression is the livelihood of the sport," said Tyr's marketing director. "We are contributing in that regard to the swim community."

Adolph Kiefer agreed. "We've seen racing blocks, goggles, racing lanes and water heated to the right temperature," said the president of Kiefer & Associates and a ...