Making this list awakened a somewhat bitter taste in my mouth. I had always thought to myself that a significant portion of things I use on a day to day basis was invented by NASA or the Army, but I had no clue just how many inventions came from the both of them. It’s quite fascinating, but it also made me sad, so many things on this list make you think, “really, there was no need to invent a more comfortable mattress until NASA needed one?” However, in another sense, that’s the way it has always been. The military has its needs, and those needs need to meet to win the battle, and NASA has her needs, and without fulfilling them, there would be no space age. So, without further ado, here is my list of 40 technological advancements of humankind that all spanned from NASA, and the United States Military. Let me know if I missed any, or if there are any facts I may have missed!
Artificial Limbs
Artificial limbs have evolved from just a pegged leg of the 1700s to the fake plastic legs of the 1940s, and all the way to the state-of-the-art carbon fiber limbs of the 21st century.
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This new prosthetic technology stems from NASA’s innovative robotics, artificial muscle inventions meant to provide astronauts with more efficient ways to keep correct posture and develop healthy muscles in zero gravity.