Exumme, a tech company from Palo Alto, California, has developed the Embercase, an iPhone case that protects the phone and warms a user's hands.

The device, which is currently looking for backers in fundraising site Kickstarter, is made from titanium and has a battery-powered heating element at the back that provides warmth.

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The case has a built-in layer of Aerogel ceramic fiber to protect the phone from the heat it generates. The case also has polycarbonate corners that protect the handset from drops and bumps.

The iPhone connects to the Embercase via a Bluetooth connection that regulates the phone's temperature using the Embercase's app.

The Embercase is set to retail for US$90 and will be available on the iPhone 6, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.

While the case is intentionally designed to provide a pleasant warmth, unwarranted heating of a mobile device is something consumers should be on the lookout for.

The sudden heating of a device usually comes with a quick draining of the device's battery. The heating almost always signal a short circuit in the mobile device's cells

To address the problem, a team of scientists from Stanford University developed a system that tells users when their lithium ion batteries are overheating or are a few degrees away from burning a hole in their pockets.

"Our goal is to create an early-warning system that saves lives and property," said Yi Cui, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford.

A lithium ion battery consists of two electrodes, a lithium metal-oxide cathode and a carbon anode, packed tightly side-by-side. The two electrodes are separated by a thin layer of polymer. Batteries that have a damaged polymer film let its two electrodes meet, possibly leading to overheating, short-circuiting or an explosion.

The layer of polymer, which is made from the same material in plastic bottles, is also porous enough to let lithium ions flow between the electrons through a flammable electrolyte solution. The polymer is designed to behave this way, but any problems during its manufacturing stage could be potentially dangerous.

The system developed by Cui and his team involves adding a thin layer of copper on one side of the plastic separator, making an extra layer that is described by the team as the third electrode.

"The copper layer acts like a sensor that allows you to measure the voltage difference between the anode and the separator," said co-lead author and graduate student Denys Zhuo.

The company, which is aiming to raise at least US$50,000 on the fund-raising website, has already earned more than US$9,000. It still has 25 days left before the project is taken down on Kickstarter.

TagsExumme, Embercase, Hand warmer, iphone 5, iPhone 5S