Prototype to make winter days more comfortable for your hands unveiled

Hot Hands is a heated umbrella handle which warms your hands in cold weather. Made using the heating elements from a pair of heated gloves, the holder has a cotton sleeve which wraps around the umbrella handle for maximum comfort and dexterity, whilst maintaining heat transfer to keep your hands cosy! It is rechargeable via a USB-C cable and turns on and off with a simple button. This idea is ideal for those who may have poor circulation or suffer from numb/stiff fingers, arthritis or Raynaud’s syndrome. Hot Hands can help reduce discomfort and improve hand mobility in colder weather.

Each year Industry and University partners of Primary Engineer choose a pupil’s idea to build into a Prototype and to be revealed a year later at the regional awards ceremony.

The team from Howden selected this concept because it addressed a genuine everyday problem in a simple but creative way and offered an interesting engineering challenge involving mechanical design, electronics, materials, and user experience.

The finished prototype was officially unveiled on 10th June at the Scotland West regional award ceremony hosted at Strathclyde University.

The 2026/27 Competition is Officially OPEN so get involved to experience the fun! Register for full competition access and resources here: https://leadersaward.com/resource-area-registration/