Soldiers could be turned into super sharpshooters in freezing conditions – by wearing heated pads on their cheeks.
The has filed a patent application for a system to solve the problem faced by troops on , whose shooting is impaired if they wear gloves but whose fingers quickly freeze without them.
Experts believe the pads will trick soldiers’ bodies into keeping their trigger fingers .
A team led by army research physiologist tested small, heated pads on the cheeks, foreheads and forearms of volunteers to stimulate the trigeminal nerve area, causing more blood to flow to the hands.
The combination was effective at improving sensation and dexterity in tests at 0C.
Using forearm heating alone also worked, although the effect was smaller.
Castellani said: “Thick gloves can reduce soldiers’ fine-motor dexterity by 50 to 75 per cent.
"As a result, they tend to remove their gloves when they need to use their fingers. Unfortunately, this causes blood flow to decrease in the hands, also impairing movement.”
The patent application says the battery-powered pads “trick the body into believing it is warm rather than cold, and increase blood flow to the fingers”.
