Boeing Develops Touchless, Self-Cleaning Airplane Bathroom
SEATTLE (CBS) – A trip to the lavatory is one of the least glamorous parts of air travel.
But a new innovation from Boeing means that passengers may soon be able to use a freshly cleaned airplane bathroom every time nature calls – and not have to touch any lavatory surfaces with their hands.
The self-cleaning bathroom would use ultraviolet light to kill 99.99 percent of germs after each use in only three seconds.
What if an airplane bathroom could clean itself? Boeing engineers and designers have built a prototype lavatory that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to kill 99.99 percent of pathogens, thus sanitizing all the lavatory surfaces. Combined with touchless faucets, soap dispensers and more, the lavatory of the future could make for a more hygienic, less worrisome experience. Engineers in Commercial Airplanes Product Development and Boeing Research & Technology (BR&T) are working on the lavatory and other concepts that would make the overall cabin cleaner.
Posted by The Boeing Company on Thursday, March 3, 2016
There's still more work to be done before these futuristic bathrooms are installed on aircrafts. But Boeing says the cleaning system would be able to lift the toilet seat by itself for a thorough cleaning, and include a hands-free faucet, soap dispenser, trash flap, toilet lid and door latch.
"We're trying to alleviate the anxiety we all face when using a restroom that gets a workout during a flight," a Boeing official said in a statement.