The new line of odour-free underwear has been developed by scientists in Japan. Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to live on the International Space Station, is now testing them in space. "Nobody has complained, so I think it's so far, so good," he said.

Called J-ware, the range was created by textile experts at the Japan Women's University in Tokyo. The clothes, developed by researcher Yoshiko Taya, are designed to kill bacteria, absorb water, insulate the body and dry quickly.

Japanese astronaut Takao Doi gave the clothes a trial run during a shuttle mission last year. And even after a vigorous workout, his clothes stayed dry. "The other astronauts become very sweaty, but he doesn't have any sweat. He didn't need to hang his clothes to dry," Mr Yanagawa said.

J-ware should reduce the amount of clothing that needs to be sent to the space station, which has no laundry facilities. The Japanese space agency plans to make the clothes available to NASA and its other space station partners once development is complete. A commercial line is also in the offing.

Are they made from the same material as J-Cloths?

Testing did cause a few casualties...

The original was here