The Origin of Memory Foam


There is no more exciting story in the world of mattresses than the story of memory foam.

In the early 1970’s the NASA’s Ames Research Center was given a grant to research and develop a substance that could alleviate the impact of powerful G-forces on astronauts when taking off to space.  They researchers firmly believed (mattress pun!) that the key to reducing the impact of these gravitational forces was to use foam that conformed to the astronauts shape. Originally, they tossed the idea of a foam mold that was custom fit to the astronauts sitting positions, but threw the idea out when they realized that if the astronauts shifted from this position, they mold would prove ineffective.

Instead, they created memory foam. Originally, it was made from visco-elastic polyurethane. The visco-elastic properties made it dense and able to mold to the users body when heated.  
Sadly, it was never adopted by the NASA space program. Instead it was used in the medical field for bed-ridden patients. Eventually, it made its way into mattress discounters New York, and into bedrooms everywhere.
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