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A memory foam contour pillow, often called a
Swedish neck pillow, is filled with thousands of microscopic
“cells” that can deform under pressure. When you rest your neck,
shoulders, or head on it, the air in the deformed cells moves to
neighboring cells, creating contours that obey your shape... |
Memory foam is a truly space age
material. The United States National Aeronautics and Space
Administration developed the first generation of memory foam in
the 1970s. Memory foam behaved like a liquid and a solid at the
same time. You could press your hand into the surface of the
material, and when you lifted it away, you could see your
handprint lingering in the material for a short while as the
material slowly resumed its original flat state.
The “memory” of your hand was strong at first, and then faded
with time. Realizing the ability of this new material to both
cushion and support, NASA intended to use it in the space
shuttle, as a way to take the edge off the G-force impact on
astronauts’ bodies during lift-off.
The first generation of memory foam never got off the ground. It
was too brittle and tended to break down after a year or two.
NASA forgot about it.
 A
Swedish company closely associated with the NASA memory foam
project continued tinkering around with the polyurethane
compound on their own and, after ten years of further research,
produced a version that wouldn’t break down over time. It was a
spongy, gel-like plastic, whose composite open cells could
deform under pressure, redistribute the air pockets to
neighboring cells, and return. The next generation of memory
foam had arrived.
Tempur-Pedic, now a widely known company, started marketing the
material to hospitals for mattress pads to decrease bedsore
cases. Patients reported that these mattress pads markedly
reduced pressure on joints while lying down, while at the same
time providing all the back support they needed. Riding the
waves of these rave reviews in the medical world, Tempur-Pedic
introduced memory foam to the general populace in the early
1990s. It was very expensive at first, but soon other companies
caught wind of memory foam’s potential, and now there are dozens
and dozens of companies producing more and more memory foam
products for demanding consumers every day. Prices continue to
decline.
Today, memory foam is most often used in mattresses, mattress
toppers, and pillows, but the versatile material is also used in
pet beds, footwear, positional sleep aids, office furniture,
automobile seat padding, infant cribs and car seats, wheel chair
cushions, hip pads and padded sweatpants, computer carrying
cases, movie theater seating, pistol gloves, ear plugs, tennis
racquet handles, and more.
- Please visit any of King's
Mattress Retail stores to choose from various sizes and
styles.
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