15 of the Coolest NASA Inventions Used by Ordinary People
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is doing more than just building ambitious telescopes that can see the beginning of time and send people to and from the moon. He is also responsible for Michael Phelps’ swimsuit, LASIK surgery and selfies. The FMCG items listed below are just 15 of the more than 2,000 consumer products that NASA considers “co-techs” from the space program. All are based on technologies and discoveries developed either directly by NASA, in partnership with NASA, or funded by NASA.
memory foam
If your mattress, pillow, daybed, desk chair, or bike seat contains memory foam (also known as “tempur” or “temper Foam”), you can thank NASA. This material was developed by NASA-funded aeronautical engineer Charles Yost and has been used to create the best shock-absorbing aircraft test pilot seats.
Classic computer mouse.
The computer mouse was invented at Stanford in the early 1960s by Doug Englebart, whose research into interactive computer input was funded by NASA. The research was supported by NASA’s Bob Taylor, who took over the management of Xerox and continued development of the computer mouse.
Infrared thermometers
If you ever take your temperature with an infrared thermometer, as I do, you can’t do it without NASA. The space agency developed infrared thermometers to measure the temperature of distant space objects, and this technology eventually found its way into the home thermometers commonly used by hypochondriacs.
Spectacular swimwear
Most of us don’t wear high-performance swimsuits very often, but swimmers like Michael Phelps owe NASA a debt. The swimsuit of choice for elite swimmers, the Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit debuted in 2008 and owes its unique hydrodynamic properties to wind tunnel testing conducted at NASA’s Langley Research Center.
Mobile phone cameras
The image sensors used in almost all modern digital cameras are supplied directly by NASA. Eric Fossum of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory pioneered the use of CMOS technology in cameras. The goal was to make spacecraft cameras better, cheaper and more efficient, but the technology was quickly licensed by camera manufacturers and spread around the world.
Self-driving cars
We will use this technology in the near future thanks to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Quantum Science and Technology Group, which began operations in the 1980s. Among his inventions is a spherical resonator for light waves, with the spectacular name “optical resonator with a whispering gallery mode.” Until recently, this technology was largely unused when it was integrated into GM’s LiDAR systems for self-driving cars.
Video game Lunar Lander and a bunch of movies
Atari’s arcade game of the late 1970s wasn’t built on a NASA-designed computer chip or anything, but the whole premise of the game — safely placing a tiny lander on the rocky surface of the Moon — is based on NASA’s Apollo missions. See also: ” Apollo 13 “, “Hidden Figures “, and almost all American pop culture created between approximately 1965 and 1980.
LASIK surgery
In an attempt to determine how the absence of gravity affects eye movements, NASA conducted a series of experiments on the International Space Station in the mid-2000s. The results are useless to Earth humans (Spoiler: gravity affects eye movements), but eye-tracking technology developed for experimentation makes LASIK vision correction surgery possible.
More scratch resistant lenses
There were scratch-resistant lenses before Ray-Ban licensed technology developed by NASA for their Survivor line of sunglasses, but they weren’t as good. For the first time, NASA has coated sensitive instrument displays with diamond-like carbon to make them 10 times more scratch-resistant than other methods. Maybe it’s too much for sunglasses, but still very cool.
Air traffic control systems
The Federal Aviation Administration and NASA recently completed the development of an advanced ground flight control system. This year, the Integrated Arrival, Departure and Flight System (IADS) was introduced at the 27 busiest airports in the country. I can only assume that flight delays will be a thing of the past.
corrugated coating
Even if you didn’t notice it, thanks to NASA the whole world has become less slippery. According to the space agency , “accidents on slippery roads have been reduced by 85 percent” and there has also been a reduction in slip-related injuries at swimming pool decks, playgrounds and industrial sites. This was due to NASA’s work to cut grooves on runways to increase aircraft thrust.
Foil Emergency Blankets
Foil blankets, packed in first aid kits and handed out at the end of marathons, were developed by NASA in 1964. This material is made by sputtering aluminum onto thin plastic and is used in campers, sun visors, space telescopes and more. Like a blanket, it reflects warmth to whoever is wrapped in it.
Nike Airs
These shoes are the product of two NASA innovations. Harder rubber for athletic shoes is molded using “rubber blow molding,” a process pioneered by NASA to make helmets. The cushioning material used in Nike Air sneakers was developed by NASA engineer Frank Rudy.
Best Baby Formula
While studying nutritional strategies for a future trip to Mars, NASA scientists have discovered a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids that were previously found only in breast milk. The ingredient is now used in almost all infant formulas on the market.
Cordless vacuum cleaners
Black and Decker worked closely with NASA in the 1960s to produce cordless drills, hammers, and other tools that could work in low (or no) gravity. The Dustbuster cordless vacuum cleaner is a direct result.