Smart gloves engineered by final year student

An invention showcased in this year's exhibition of honours and research projects by students of Electronic and Electrical Engineering could aid the UK's 10 million sufferers of Raynaud's Phenomenon - a condition in which the blood supply to the fingers and toes becomes interrupted, resulting in considerable pain for the sufferer.

Iain Murray from the Division of Mechanical Engineering has developed self-heating 'smart gloves' for sufferers of the disease. Unlike other devices available for patients with this condition, Iain's design is much less cumbersome, using micro-engineering techniques to integrate the electronics and power supply into the glove itself.

Other projects on show included a special autocatalytic coating for surgical equipment, which could be able to prevent cross contamination and the spread of diseases such as bacterial infection and Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease; an air separation system, which will be used to advise Dundee City Council on the best design to incorporate into their recycling plant; and a highly sensitive temperature probe for medical devices, which will be able to distinguish between benign and malignant tumours.

Also on display were projects in silicon chip design and manufacture. Dundee is one of only a few universities with the resources to conduct this type of highly-advanced electronic engineering. Students manufacture the chips themselves in a purpose-built, dust-free microelectronics laboratory following initial design tests using computer simulation.

Many students, particularly those from overseas, are attracted to the University by its outstanding reputation in microelectronics.

left: Iain Murray pictured with the glove for Raynaud's sufferers