The Origin of Memory Foam

In the very early 1970’s, NASA’s very own Ames Research Center funded a research and development project whose main goal was to create a substance that could help alleviate and relieve astronauts of the incredible gravitational force (g-force) which is experienced during take-off of a spacecraft. They firmly believed that the key secret to reducing this force was to use foam which could conform to the astronaut’s shape. The main drawback to this approach was a foam mold of each astronaut’s body shape because any movement would take a person out of this position and create incorrect pressure points against the body as well.

Instead, they designed and created a new foam material, which we now know as Memory Foam. Originally made from polyurethane, which is a polymer with many chemicals that increase its viscosity, and as a result increasing its density. It was visco-elastic (also referred to as visco-elastic polyurethane foam) and depending on the chemicals used in it and the density of it, it would be adaptive, meaning firmer in cool temperatures and softer when warm. Higher density memory foam reacts to body heat which allows it to automatically mold itself to the person’s body shape within a few minutes. A lower density memory foam is pressure-sensitive and would mold more quickly to the person’s body shape.

Memory foam mattresses were never used in the NASA space program. In the end it became used in the medical industry, mostly for patients who could not really move and were mostly bed-bound. They would lie in bed on hard or very firm mattresses for extremely long periods of time without being able to move around regularly. The pressure over some of their bony regions decreased or at times even stopped the blood flow to the region leading to pressure sores and/or gangrene. Memory foam mattresses successfully helped to decrease such events to a large extent.

With this amazing discovery, Fagerdala World Foams of Sweden, which was one of Europe’s largest foam producing companies, began experimenting in the 1980s to perfect it for consumer use.

In 1991, the NASA memory foam which became known as the Tempur Pedic mattress had been around for more than 30 years. The Tempur-Pedic, a Swedish Mattress company, began to introduce this wonderful material in a mattress form to the people of Sweden with very impressive results. 1992 was the year that Tempur-Pedic launched the same products in North America and got similar responses much to their surprise.

With such success of Tempur-Pedic, other foam manufacturers in Canada and the United States began researching and developing their very own version of visco-elastic memory foam material in order to offer mattress, memory foam beds, upholstering and specialty products. This really gave companies the ability to allow consumers to have a wide variety of options and price levels to choose from.

Memory foam was initially very expensive but has now become a lot cheaper to produce and is now widely available. For domestic purposes, its most commonly used for mattresses, pillows, and mattress toppers. On the medical side, its used as wheelchair seats, cushions, hospital bed pillows and padding for persons suffering long-term pain/posture problems.

A memory foam mattress used on memory foam bed is usually denser than an ordinary foam mattress which makes it more supportive but also heavier. It is often a good compromise between the comfort of a soft mattress and the supportiveness of a firm one. Memory foam mattresses are often more expensive than traditional mattresses but they may last longer due to their resistance to parasites such as dust mites.

Today, memory foam is more popular than ever for those who want a good night’s sleep & NASA technology is responsible for this great innovation.

A NASA memory foam mattress can not only give you a good sleep but offer you the support that you need where you need it. When you have this mattress, you will not feel any discomfort in pressing certain parts of your body into the bed. The memory foam bed allows you the support in the places where you are pressing into the mattress. The mattress redistributes your weight in such a way so that your spine is straight and that you feel comfortable throughout your body which in turn enables you to have a good night of sleep.