Apple has been granted a patent for a ‘Magic Glove System’ that will let you operate touchscreen devices while keeping your fingers warm.
The system involves gloves that have an inner and an outer layer. The inner layer consists of a thin material with low thermal conductivity, similar to human skin, Patently Apple reports.
The outer layer of the glove can be pulled back to allow the inner layer to make direct contact with the screen of a touchscreen device such as an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. Once the wearer no longer needs to operate the device, the outer layer can be moved back into place.
Gloves that will allow you to use a touchscreen without taking them off already exist though the system that Apple has patented would allow much greater control with a smaller area of contact between glove and screen.
Existing solutions involve gloves with special conductive material woven into the thumb, index and middle finger though due to the thickness of the material create a larger contact area, making accurate control more difficult.
According to the report the patent was originally applied for in 2007 under the names of Ashwin Sunder and Steven Hotelling.