21 gravity-defying photos of Olympians soaring through the water and air

The Olympics, particularly the summer Olympics, are a kind of festival for elite sports photography.

There's no two weeks in the year that produce a heftier haul of world-class images of athletic competition.

All the major agencies covering the games fight for an edge in the photographic shoot-out. And this year, Getty added a new weapon to its arsenal: a small army of underwater robots.

Here's what you need to know about them, along with some of the amazing images they've created.

See Also:

• A pool expert explains why the green Olympic pool is so worrisome

• Katie Ledecky is redefining the limits of athletic performance

• We talked to a pool expert about what's going on with the stinky green Olympic pool, and he gave us some gross insight

SEE ALSO: We talked to a pool expert about what's going on with the stinky green Olympic pool, and he gave us some gross insight

AND: Officials fear some Olympic athletes might be altering their genes to cheat in Rio