Astronauts need to be ready to withstand extreme temperatures inside their suits. When operating outside their spacecraft, the temperatures can range from -250°F to 250°F depending on their position in relation to the Sun. Understanding these risks, NASA teamed up with Johns Hopkins University in the late 1980s to create the groundwork for the technology that we use in our sensors today.  Many commercial products on the market today originated under similar circumstances. NASA originated technologies that are adapted for commercial uses are known as Spinoff developments, and our products share this distinction as well. Since 1976, more than 2,000 common, everyday products have entered the commercial market using technology that was originally designed for use in space. Some of the more well-known Spinoff technologies include GPS (Global Positioning System), Memory Foam, and cordless vacuum cleaners. HQI purchased the exclusive patent rights on the temperature pill in 1988, and within three years, the pill made its debut in space, monitoring the core body temperatures of astronauts and relaying the information via radiofrequency signals back to NASA computers on Earth.