Japan's Astronaut Underwear Fights Odors, Can Be Worn for One Month
Katherinev123 — August 9, 2009 — Fashion
References: universetoday & space
Imagine wearing the same pair of underwear for one whole month. Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata doesn’t have to imagine--he actually did it, with a pair of high-tech Japanese undies designed to neutralize odor.
Koichi Wakata wore this underwear for an endurance experiment abroad the International Space Station. Made by the top textile company, Toray, the new anti-bacterial underwear, called J-wear, is supposed to keep foul odors at bay--prevent “permanent odour infusion”--as well as repel static and wick away water.
This odor-neutralizing space underwear first arrived on the scene in March 2008 when Japanese astronaut Takao Doi wore it during a two-week flight. Now, with Wakata’s smell test completed, we can rest assured that the underwear will have a fresh-smell life span of at least a month.
Says Wakata, "I wore it for about a month and my station crewmembers never complained for that month, so I think the experiment went fine."
Koichi Wakata wore this underwear for an endurance experiment abroad the International Space Station. Made by the top textile company, Toray, the new anti-bacterial underwear, called J-wear, is supposed to keep foul odors at bay--prevent “permanent odour infusion”--as well as repel static and wick away water.
This odor-neutralizing space underwear first arrived on the scene in March 2008 when Japanese astronaut Takao Doi wore it during a two-week flight. Now, with Wakata’s smell test completed, we can rest assured that the underwear will have a fresh-smell life span of at least a month.
Says Wakata, "I wore it for about a month and my station crewmembers never complained for that month, so I think the experiment went fine."
Trend Themes
1. Odor-neutralizing Fabric - New textiles can be developed for use in clothing and accessories, disrupting the apparel industry with value-added odor-neutralizing features.
2. Anti-bacterial Undergarments - The use of anti-bacterial technology in undergarments can be expanded to other industries such as healthcare and hospitality, changing the way we approach hygiene and sanitation.
3. Long-lasting Hygiene Products - The development of long-lasting hygiene products can create disruptive opportunities in the personal care industry, providing customers with products that require less frequent replacement or replenishment.
Industry Implications
1. Apparel - The apparel industry can adopt the odor-neutralizing technology used in the Japanese space underwear to create innovative products that offer enhanced value to customers.
2. Healthcare - Anti-bacterial technology used in the space underwear can be applied to healthcare products to improve hygiene and prevent the spread of infections, creating disruptive opportunities in the healthcare industry.
3. Personal Care - The development of long-lasting hygiene products can provide opportunities for personal care companies to create innovative products that offer convenience and cost-saving benefits to customers.
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