TEMPUR-Material™️

Induction year: 1998

Inducted individuals:

Chuck Kubokawa

Charles Laenger

Sam McFarland

Robert Willbur

Charles Yost

Inducted organizations:

Becton, Dickenson, and Company

Dynamic Systems, Inc.

NASA Ames Research Center

Southwest Research Institute

The TEMPUR®️ story begins in the late 1960s when NASA scientists were tasked with developing a material to cushion pilots against the rigors of test flight. They invented a completely new viscoelastic material that slowly reacted to body weight, shape and temperature. The viscoelastic material had soft, pressure-relieving properties and high-energy absorption, and was used onboard NASA Space Shuttles.

In the 1980s, NASA published the formula for the viscoelastic technology. Realizing the potential to help improve how people sleep, two Swedish entrepreneurs via their Danish company began perfecting the NASA formula and its manufacturing process. In 1991, they introduced the world’s first viscoelastic mattress and pillow under the brand name TEMPUR®️. The adaptive and pressure relieving properties along with its unique comfort and support made TEMPUR-Material™️ an instant success, and today TEMPUR®️ is found in bedrooms around the world, transforming the sleep of millions of people.

After going public on the US stock market in 2003 under the name Tempur-Pedic International Inc., the company acquired Sealy Corporation in 2012 and since then has been operating as Tempur Sealy International Inc. The company has grown to become the world’s largest bedding provider and develops, manufactures and markets mattresses, adjustable bases, pillows and other sleep and relaxation products under various brands. All its TEMPUR®️ and TEMPUR-PEDIC®️ branded mattresses, toppers and pillows still use the original NASA technological breakthrough as the basis for the TEMPUR-Material™️.

TEMPUR-Material™️ was not only inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame, but it is also a Certified Space Technology. To hear the backstory on the space technology that Tempur-Pedic®️ adapted to improve sleep and some of the science behind how TEMPUR-Material™️ works, listen to the Space4U podcast. For more information on TEMPUR-PEDIC®️ and its line of products, visit: www.tempurpedic.com in the US and www.tempur.com for International markets.