Alva Review-Courier -

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Walking into the Labs for Functional Textiles and Protective Clothing at Iowa State University, the first things one might notice are the piles upon piles of heavy-duty gloves meant to protect firefighters.

This is where ISU professor Guowen Song and student researchers are working to improve upon this most basic gear for first-responders — gloves intended to protect against searing heat and sharp objects, and as a result too cumbersome for maneuverability.

"The current gloves are not really designed to meet the basic elements of protection, comfort and functionality," Song t...