Water filter and other unusual innovations of NASA that you didn’t know about  

It is comfortable to come home and sleep on a comfy bed. How much nicer would it be if the mattress took the shape of the person sleeping on it and remembered the shape too? No, we are not talking about a fictional invention. There is a mat like this that exists in the real world. Known as memory foam mattress, it was invented by none other than NASA. There are several other inventions like this which were originally designed for astronauts and used for the general public later on. Let us introduce to three of these innovations.   

Memory foam mattress 
NASA invented memory foam to ensure the safety of astronauts landing on Earth from space. Charles Yost, an aeronautical engineer, invented it in the 1960s. Yost developed a unique type of plastic foam that can deform and absorb high pressure before returning to its original shape using ‘springback’ technology. People soon began to discover its applications in other fields too. For example, the technology proved helpful for people who sat for long periods in flight. It distributed their weight equally and gave them comfort throughout the journey. So, in 1967, Yost formed his own company, Dynamic Systems Inc., and marketed the innovation under the name Temper Foam. Subsequently, many companies began experimenting with the technology. The Dallas Cowboys football team used memory foam in their helmets in the 1970s and 1980s to reduce the trauma impact on the field. When the health benefits of sleeping on memory foam were made public in the 1990s, many companies started to produce it along with pillows. Since then, the material that once protected astronauts from crashes has been used to help ordinary people sleep better. 

Cochlear implants 
Cochlear implants have been helping millions of people worldwide to hear better, thanks to NASA’s advanced technology. In the late 1970s, Adam Kissiah, an engineer at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, invented cochlear implants for astronauts. The implants generated a digital pulse, which stimulated auditory nerve endings and then sent signals to the brain. Kissiah accomplished this despite having no medical training, relying solely on NASA technology. Kissiah patented his invention with NASA’s assistance in 1977, and over 219,000 patients have received cochlear implants since then. This use of space technology has significantly improved the lives of people with hearing loss. 

Water filters 
We have many water-filtering plants on Earth that provide us with clean water. We even have water purifiers in our homes, but astronauts do not have this luxury. So, in the 1970s, NASA developed special water filters to provide astronauts with safe and clean drinking water. The space agency collaborated with the Oregon-based Umpqua Research Company to develop filter cartridges that use iodine to clean water in space shuttles. The device came to be known as a microbial check valve, and guess where it is now used? In municipal water treatment plants!  

In the late 1970s, Ray Ward, an Arizona inventor, requested information from NASA on the water filters used in shuttles. Using that information, he constructed a prototype tap water filter. And it was an instant success. Many companies jumped right in and developed their versions of water filters.