Tempur-Pedic®

Tempurpedic

Man has always longed for a good night’s sleep. The invention of mattresses with springs and coils went a long way toward that end.  However, a good night’s sleep was still not fully at hand. It seems that NASA also had problems with providing comfortable accommodations for the shuttle astronauts, especially during the extreme G-forces at lift off. This need would ultimately lead to development of the foam material known as Tempurpedic foam.

NASA scientists started in 1971 to develop a foam material that could retain it shape and yet support the weight of an adult man or woman.  What they discovered was a viscoelastic material that was also able to relieve the pressure of an object lying upon it. This discovery was then acquired by a Swedish Foam Company, Fagerdala World Foams, which eventually turned the discovery into the first commercially viable product called the Tempurpedic Swedish Mattress which they introduced in 1991. Now a number of products exist with this property and they are generally referred to as memory foams. These foams are made from polyurethane and can be made as high or low density foams. Low density foam responds to pressure and conforms immediately to the shape of an object placed upon it.

The Tempurpedic material consists of a foam material containing billions of small cells with bubbles in them.  These cells are packed close together and it is this that gives the foam it high density. This high density gives the foam its body and allows it to conform to the shape of a body laying on it. Foam in a mattress adjusts to adjust to the individual shape of each person’ body is a realization of the wish for a good night’s sleep.  If two people are sharing the mattress the foam will support each individual independent of the other persons.

The weight of the body causes air to flow between cells such that more air is pushed out of areas where the body pushes into the foam like for example, the hip.  This air then move into areas where less pressure is applied like the small of the back and provides the needed support to that area. Since air is moved only from areas where pressure is applied to the foam it is possible to place an object like a glass of water at the far end of a Tempurpedic bed mattress and then have a person jump up and down at the other end of the mattress without spilling any of the water.  The density of the foam dampens the movement and provides the reason why one person is able to move around or get up from a memory foam mattress without disturbing the other person.

The development of high density viscoelastic polyurethane foams has provided a new material for products for the home such as mattresses and pillows and in medicine as hospital bed mattresses, wheelchair cushions and for patients who are suffering from chronic pain of various types. This is a prime example of NASA Research efforts with Tempurpedic providing value to our everyday life.