15 of NASA’s coolest inventions used by ordinary people

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration does more than just create. ambitious telescope You can see the beginning of time, and you can have people go back and forth to the moon. He has also worked on Michael Phelps swimwear, LASIK surgeries and selfies. The everyday items listed below are just 15 of his more than 2,000 consumer products NASA is considering. “Spin-off technology” from the space program. All of them are based on technologies and discoveries developed directly by NASA, in partnership with NASA, or through funding from NASA.

memory foam

If your mattress, pillow, sofa, desk chair, or bicycle seat contains memory foam (also known as “Tempur” or “Temperfoam”), thank NASA. This material was developed by NASA-funded aeronautical engineer Charles Yost and used to create better shock-absorbing seats for test his pilots.

classic computer mouse

The computer mouse was invented by Doug Englebart at Stanford University in the early 1960s. Doug Englebart was funded by NASA for his research on interactive computer input. This research was supported by NASA’s Bob Taylor. Bob Taylor became his Xerox administrator and further developed the computer mouse.

infrared thermometer

You wouldn’t be able to check your body temperature with an infrared thermometer like I did without NASA. The space agency developed an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of distant space objects, and the technology finally found a way to bring the thermometer used by hypochondriacs everywhere into the home. .

efficient swimwear

Most of us don’t wear high-performance swimsuits often, but swimmers like Michael Phelps owe NASA. Speedo’s LZR Racer swimsuit (the gear of choice for elite swimmers) debuted in his 2008 and owes its unique hydraulic properties from wind tunnel testing conducted at NASA’s Langley Research Center.

mobile phone camera

The image sensors used in nearly all modern digital cameras come directly from NASA. Eric Fossum, an employee at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was the first to use CMOS technology in a camera. His goal was a better, cheaper and more efficient camera for spacecraft, and the technology was quickly licensed by camera companies and spread around the world.

self-driving car

Thanks to the Quantum Science and Technology Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which started in the 1980s, we plan to use this technology in the near future. Among those inventions is the evocative name of a ‘whispering gallery mode optical cavity’, a spherical cavity for light waves. The technology had little practical application until it was integrated into his GM’s LiDAR system for self-driving cars.

Lunar lander video games and lots of movies

Atari’s late 1970s arcade game wasn’t built on a NASA-developed computer chip or anything like that, but the whole premise of the game (safely depositing a small lander on the rocky surface of the moon) was based on NASA’s based on the Apollo missions of See also Apollo 13, hidden figureand almost all of American popular culture created between 1965 and 1980.

lasik surgery

To determine how the lack of gravity affects eye movements, NASA conducted a series of experiments on the International Space Station in the mid-2000s. While the results are useless for earth-bound people (spoiler: gravity affects eye movements), eye-tracking technology developed for the experiment could allow LASIK vision correction surgery. increase.

scratch resistant lens

Before Ray-Ban licensed NASA-developed technology to its Survivor sunglasses line, it had scratch-resistant lenses, but they weren’t great. NASA has developed a diamond-like carbon coating for the displays of sensitive instruments to make him ten times more scratch resistant than otherwise. It might be overkill for sunglasses, but it’s still pretty cool.

air traffic control system

The Federal Aviation Administration and NASA recently completed development of an improved system for managing flights on the ground. This year, 27 of the country’s busiest airports have introduced integrated arrivals, departures and ground (IADS) systems. I can only assume that flight delays will be a thing of the past.

grooved pavement

Even if you don’t realize it, the whole world is slippery thanks to NASA. According to the space agency, “accidents on slippery highways have decreased by 85%” and injuries from slipping on pool decks, playgrounds and industrial sites have also decreased. This is thanks to NASA’s efforts to ditch the runway to improve aircraft traction.

emergency foil blanket

Invented by NASA in 1964 and packed in first aid kits and handed out at the end of marathons, the foil blankets are aluminum-deposited thin plastics used in campers, awnings, and space telescopes. As a blanket, it reflects heat back to the person being wrapped.

nike airs

These sneakers are the product of two NASA innovations. The harder rubber molding of athletic shoes is done by “blow rubber molding,” a process developed by NASA to manufacture helmets. The shock-absorbing material used in Nike Airs was devised by NASA engineer Frank Rudy.

better powdered milk

While researching nutritional strategies for future trips to Mars, NASA scientists discovered a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids previously found only in breast milk. This ingredient is now used in almost all formulas on the market.

cordless vacuum cleaner

Black and Decker worked closely with NASA in the 1960s to manufacture cordless drills, hammers, and other tools that operated in low-gravity (or zero-gravity) environments. The Dustbuster cordless vacuum cleaner is a direct result.