In 2006 Korean company LG released the first gadget with touch control. A in 2007 After the emergence of such a mega-popular variety of smartphones as the iPhone, phones with touchscreen functions quickly won the hearts of users, displacing push-button analogues from the market. Which is not at all surprising, since these devices included a set of functions that were not limited to phone calls and sending SMS. Combining the capabilities of a phone and a pocket computer, they were and remain very convenient to use thanks to the touch display, which is used to manage programs.
However, the delight of users gives way to sighs of disappointment as soon as the warm weather is replaced by cold weather. In ordinary gloves, smartphone sensors do not sense touches, and if you take them off, after a couple of minutes in the cold, your fingers become icy and stop responding.
In order to write a message or talk, you have to either go into the room or endure frozen hands. To avoid such situations, gloves were created specifically for contact with the touch screen. The so-called “touch gloves”.
Touch gloves - what kind of invention is this?
This recently appeared wardrobe item has become indispensable for comfort lovers who use gadgets outdoors during the cold season. It allows you to use the touchscreen function while keeping your hands warm.
The smartphone display responds only to the touch of a finger, reacting to its impulses. Not a single thing can replace the human bioelectric field.
Unlike simple gloves, which cannot make a phone work, touch gloves are equipped with electrically conductive fibers that allow you to interact with the gadget screen no worse than human hands.
The main material for making touch gloves is wool or acrylic, since knitted models best convey the force of pressing the screen. However, gloves made of fleece, natural or artificial leather are also capable of controlling a smartphone, the main thing is that they do not have extra seams that can worsen the quality of impulse transmission.
Outwardly, these inventions do not stand out in any way from their ordinary counterparts, except for the characteristic color differences on the fingers. The color is not of fundamental importance; this is done by the manufacturers in order to show that this accessory has a touchscreen function.
Gloves can be either women's or men's, or unisex. Despite the fact that most of them are created in a universal size, it is advisable to find ones that will fit your hand, because contact of the fingertips with the conductive areas is necessary.
Who invented them and why?
Incredibly, this item, in demand today, could not enter the world market and find its admirers for quite a long time.
These unique accessories are designed by a Dutch company Mujjo. The idea of improving gloves for working with touchscreens at sub-zero temperatures has been discussed by various major gadget manufacturers for quite a long time; Mujjo was the first to propose an original solution and bring it to life.
It was the Mujjo company that came up with the idea of using silver as a conductive substance that can make it possible to transmit an impulse from hands to a smartphone via a signet.
Having no money for an advertising campaign for the invention, the company promoted it via the Internet, using a website specially created for this purpose. Over time, she managed to attract the attention of consumers and create her own market segment.
Principle of operation
The operating principle of touch gloves is based on the properties of the fibers that make up the contact elements. Of course, not the entire surface of the glove has transmitting qualities. In place of the fingertips (sometimes all of them, and sometimes only two or three) there are special contact areas. Only they are able to interact with the screen. Such zones are always marked in a different color.
The composition of the gloves must contain conductive fibers, which in cheap models should be 5–6 percent, and in more expensive ones up to 13.
When creating gloves, the fragility of the screen is taken into account, so the contact areas are made of materials that cannot damage it.
Advantages and disadvantages of touch gloves
Touch gloves have dual requirements: they must provide warmth and contact with the display.
Their advantages are:
- ease of use (does not differ from ordinary gloves);
- contact elements are felt and do not cause discomfort;
- do not violate the integrity of the screen coating;
- securely hold the smartphone in your hand;
- washable like regular gloves, according to the instructions;
- retain their functions after washing.
There are few general shortcomings of gloves; claims can be made against specific companies:
- difficult to use at very low temperatures;
- difficult to choose the exact size;
- the appearance is quickly lost.
The most frost-resistant versions of gloves can function at air temperatures not lower than -10 degrees. At lower levels they may stop working.
Famous manufacturers
Despite the fact that the Dutch company Mujjo is the first developer of gloves with a touchscreen function, their growing popularity has attracted the attention of both world-famous manufacturers of branded accessories and small firms creating cheap products.
Today, Mujjo is one of the leading developers of these products in the global market.
In Russia the top three are:
Faberlic — the company offers a large selection. Its characteristic feature is the presence of conductive elements in all fingers.
iGloves – the company’s products are reliable and durable, made only from natural materials using technologies that ensure work with the screens of any gadgets.
Scroll – using high-quality materials, creates durable and strong gloves from different materials: wool, leather, suede, as well as their substitutes.
Touch gloves are the greatest invention that simplifies the life of a person who uses mobile devices. Makes it comfortable, protecting your hands from the unpleasant effects of cold and bad weather. Having such an indispensable accessory in your wardrobe, you can communicate with loved ones or business partners in almost any weather, without delaying the resolution of urgent issues or pleasant conversations.
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