39-245
Rapid Design through
Virtual and Physical Prototyping
Carnegie Mellon University
Spring 2003
The physical concept behind these gloves, still remains to be seen. I certainly believe that the plastic would reduce the friction that would be present if normal snow gloves were used in the snowman-making process. Also, it would reduce the amount of heat transfered to the snow from the child's hands. Both of these physical characteristics will improve the ability of the child to effectively make a snowman. The original sketch of this concept is included below.
Any child or adult could use these gloves during the winter. Although they would not be meant to keep your hands warm in any sense, they would make it much easier to form objects out of the snow. They would be manufactured a bit larger than normal gloves, just so they can effectively fit over any snow gloves that the child may be wearing. The problem of snow sticking to your hands while your trying to form that perfect snowball or snowman will be eliminated.
The construction cost would be minimal once a manufacturing plant was setup to make them. The material would be very similar to the Ziploc freezer bags and could be seamless if more money was spent on the manufacturing process. For a seamless pair of these gloves, I would imagine it would only cost $1 to manufacture. Although they would not be entirely durable, they should be relatively inexpensive, thus easily replacable. As a safety concern, just as with any other plastic bag, they could become potential choking hazards around small children, otherwise they are perfectly safe.
