(CNN) — Even before the coronavirus pandemic ignited global conversations about hygiene, there was one part of an airplane that nobody wanted to touch — the bathroom door.

That’s why Japanese airline ANA is testing a new hands-free bathroom door that passengers can open with their elbow or forearm (see above pic).

One of the challenges of designing anything for an airplane is the lack of space. Lavatory doors open inward (less aisle blockage) or have small, flat handles instead of doorknobs.

But what you’ll see on ANA’s prototype is something that is hygienic but also conserves space: The familiar silver latch lavatory door handle now has a spring attached to it so that you can open it by pressing in instead of by pulling out.

Inside the bathroom, the locking mechanism looks pretty familiar, with a button you slide from one side to the other. A larger sized …continued .
[Original Source: CNN]