The History of Memory Foam

Space travel is no walk in the park. In fact it is very physically demanding, not because of the travel in space but because of the tremendous G-forces, violent shaking and buffeting from engines that produce phenomenal amounts of thrust to push the aircraft to speeds in excess of 25,000 miles and hour, and the effects that are created when that same craft has to re-enter the atmosphere and slow down to just a few hundred miles an hour. It was a big problem in the design of the challenger space shuttle, and NASA scientists met the challenge when they produced a lightweight materiel of made of foam bubbles that spread the weight of the astronaut evenly and easily without losing its elasticity: they created memory foam.

Medical uses were soon realized as being a of specific benefit by using the ability of this foam to automatically shape to and support patients with long term immobility and successfully address the problem of bed sores and joint inflammation with a very cost effective solution. All ICU beds in the UK have a version of the memory foam mattress, and it is used throughout the world in medical scenarios of various types that present such problems. But the potential of this remarkable material soon went beyond the medical application, and the foam quickly went into mass production as memory foam mattresses, toppers and pillows began to be produced.

The construction method is not that far removed from traditional construction methods, in that it is a layering of foams that are designed for different functions. Layering is nothing new: the construction methods of traditional Japanese Futon is in fact two layers of mattress, one of wool and natural materials of heavy and resilient materials, this is for support, and the top layer is normally a goose down feather construction for softness and comfort. Many Japanese houses still use traditional Futon beds, but most of Japan is now the same as the Western World three layer sprung design beds.

These beds normally have a box spring construction on the bottom for support, a middle layer of coil springs for softer support, and a top layer of matting or cotton materials to ‘protect’ the sleeper from the pressure point discomfort that sprung mattresses produce. Some of these manufacturers have even started to make this top layer a layer of memory foam, like a stitched on topper.

Memory foam mattress construction is layered in the same way, but uses the incredible new materiel to truly construct a bed whose layers work in harmony, instead of just mitigating each layers negative aspects. The bottom layer is dense foam for the support of heavier people and to stop the body sinking too deep into the material. The middle layer is a construction that has cooling properties, to address circulation issues and for comfort. The top layer is a light construction built for softness and designed for comforting and spreading the load. All of these three layers are designed to work together to form a single and whole mattress that at last addresses the problem as a system.