Keeping our digits warm and dry can be a real challenge when using smartphones in the winter. The solution we usually peddle is simple: dump your current hand warmers for a new pair of touch-enabled gloves. But there arent a lot of brands that sell touch-enabled gloves, and what if you like what youre already wearing? Canadian inventor Tony Yu has thought of a solution.

Meet Nanotips: A specially-designed compound made with nanotechnology that can help you turn any pair of gloves into touch-enabled ones. Hes running a Kickstarter to help get raise money to mass produce the compound.

Yu told us he got the idea after buying his motorcycle, along with all the much-needed accessories, such as a helmet, jacket, and you guessed it gloves.

When I started actually riding, I ran into the inconvenience of always having to take off my gloves whenever I wanted to check the maps on my phone. Yus ridiculously expensive gloves for riding didnt come with a conductive thread that would make them touch-enabled.

You apply the solution on the glove tips, and once it dries they will work with smartphone and tablet touchscreens.

Yu hated the touch-enabled gloves that were on the market, and certainly didnt want to spend a bunch of money for a whole new pair. At first he thought about using silver thread, but didnt want to take a sewing needle to his $200 gloves. Next was trying a set of studs that were inserted, but according to Yu they were so hard to apply and they ended up coming off almost immediately.

Yu tried several more methods, including a sort of condom for your gloves, but they either wouldnt work, or kept sliding off while he rode his motorcycle.

There wasnt anything on the market that fit Yus needs, so he decided to figure out a solution on his own, taking a few ideas he had in mind with readily available components and modifying them to suit his own needs. Yu came up with his own formula for a compound that uses special conductive nanotubes, but remains super durable so it can last as long as possible on your gloves. After some more tweaking around and a few test batches, Nanotips was born.

Nanotips is a liquid solution that comes in a bottle small enough that it could contain nail polish. You apply the solution on the glove tips, and once it dries they will work with smartphone and tablet touchscreens. The original formula was supposed to be clear, but despite Yus best efforts, it still leaves a bluish hue when it dries, which is why he called it Nanotips Blue. Theres also a Black color available for the solution, which is designed especially for fabric or woven gloves. A bottle of the Blue stuff will give you about 15 fingers worth before you run out.

Nanotips use a special chemical compound using nanotechnology that dries on to make them touch-capable.

The rest is here:

Nanotips uses nanotechnology to make any pair of gloves touch-friendly