every winter, millions of simple tasks are made needlessly difficult trying to wear thick gloves.

solution place small magnet in thumb and fore finger place small magnet on zipper

now when you want to zip up and down your coat, it can be accomplished without cold fingers.

same goes for keys.

*warning* don't try it on your credit card.
-- metarinka, Feb 10 2010

Magnet in finger http://www.wired.co.../news/2006/06/71087
skips the middle man [metarinka, Feb 18 2010]

What if things are not pickuppablewithamagnet?

How about a glove with one sticky finger instead? There could be a motorized sticky-tape reel which continuously but slowly draws fresh sticky-tape (sticky-side up) over the digit.

Actually, I suspect that prosthetic hands would benefit more from this kind of jiggery-pokery than cold ones.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 11 2010


I suppose you could do it with a sticky reel similar to those ones used to de-lint clothing... but if you have magnets your halfway there to a perpetual motion machine.

this wasn't meant to be a catch all, but zippers and gloved hands are natural born enemies and often find each other in the same environment.
-- metarinka, Feb 12 2010


Actually,if it's that cold, why not lick your finger and then touch the object you wish to up-pick?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 14 2010


Why not simply lick the object?
-- rcarty, Feb 14 2010


Why not implant magnets into your fingertips?
-- goldbb, Feb 16 2010


magnet in finger is baked
-- metarinka, Feb 18 2010


This is a good idea, and I disagree about it being baked. The linked web page mentions small machine parts, not zippers, and with good reason: zipper tags are frequently nonferrous: [metarinka]'s idea involves a change to the design of both mitten *and* zipper. Also, the link is for gloves, not mittens, and I believe the distinction is relevant: as [metarinka] points out ("natural enemies"), the mitten-zipper problem is distinguished by its greater commonness in everyday life from other cases where hand coverings impair dexterity.
-- mouseposture, Feb 20 2010



random, halfbakery