What Material Is a Tempur-Pedic Mattress?
Tempur-Pedic mattresses offer a new kind of sleeping support, utilizing a dense foam that molds itself to your body without pressure points. This material, known as visco-elastic foam or "memory foam" is one of the byproducts of the space program. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
-
Origin
-
In 1966, NASA contracted Charles Yost to create a foam for spacecraft seats that would absorb impacts and help protect astronauts and pilots. He came up with a product which balanced support and comfort, and it quickly saw widespread use.
Memory Foam
-
The visco-elastic foam had the unique property of "memory," that is, that it would mold itself to support a weight, but return to its original state once the weight was removed.
-
Civilian Use
-
A few years after its invention, memory foam began to make its way into other applications, such as helmet liners and wheelchair cushions.
Tempur-Pedic
-
In the 1980s, a Swedish company called Fagerdala World Foams began experimenting with using memory foam in furniture. In 1991, the Tempur-Pedic company began selling mattresses made from memory foam, and a year later introduced the product worldwide.
Formulation
-
While the formula of memory foam has not changed significantly, Tempur-Pedic has made their own alterations to the process in an attempt to find the perfect balance of support and comfort.
-
References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Link Back to Our Page
