In Britain, it rains a lot and there is nothing more annoying than being caught out unprepared by the weather. Luckily, scientists from Imperial College in London are developing a new type of coating material.

Water bounces off the surface thanks to the water-repellent nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, the same chemical people use in house paint. Now for the first time ever, people have sprayed the coating onto boots and a jacket.

Dr. Colin Crick from the university said that the major challenge is making the coatings more robust, but once people do that, they can start to use them on buildings and windows.

Difficult words: annoying (irritating, unpleasant), bounce (to jump), repellent (something which repels something – forces something away from itself), robust (strong),