Flying in an aircraft is an amazing experience, however one of the drawbacks is the fact that you have to share the lavatory with a few hundred persons who have varying hygiene standards and it won’t be cleaned properly until the plane touches down. Boeing is working on a revolutionizing self-cleaning airliner lavatory that will render itself hygienic and will feature non-touch technology along with UV light that will kill 99.99% of germs within 3 seconds.
The lavatory is still in prototype phase and being developed as we write this. It makes use of a hands-free door latch and features a faucet, soap dispenser, toilet lid, rubbish flap, seat and a hand dryer. It also sports a vacuum vent system that sucks away particulates.
As the final touch, it features an array of ultraviolet lighting strips that get activated as soon as the passenger leaves the cubicle. This UV light is the same Far UV light that is used in medical sterilization systems, vacuum cleaners and air cleaners. This lighting is highly dangerous to any living cell and decimates germs within seconds. This brings the question of passenger’s safety and Boeing responded by telling that there’s a safety system incorporated into this amazing toilet, ensuring that UV light doesn’t switch on if a person is in the lavatory.
Jeanne Yu, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Director of Environmental Performance said, “We’re trying to alleviate the anxiety we all face when using a restroom that gets a workout during a flight. In the prototype, we position the lights throughout the lavatory so that it floods the touch surfaces like the toilet seat, sink, and countertops with the UV light once a person exits the lavatory. This sanitizing even helps eliminate odors.”
Boeing’s Clean Lavatory is also a finalist for the Crystal Cabin Award at the Hamburg Aircraft Interiors Expo that is slated to run from 5th to 7th April.
