Air travellers rejoice. Or at least, breathe easier. Boeing engineering has created a prototype lavatory that can clean itself using UV light to disinfect surfaces. According to Business Insider, the aircraft maker has patented the design which it says can kill 99.99 percent of all germs in three seconds and eliminate odors. Industry analysts agree that an invention which makes a busy bathroom clean and smell nice even as it is used by dozens of people is a breakthrough. The system is activated when the lavatory is unoccupied. “We’re trying to alleviate the anxiety we all face when using a restroom that gets a workout during a flight,” Boeing’s director of environmental performance Jeanne Yu said. The prototype also uses a list of touch-less features to keep things clean, including a toilet seat that lifts and closes itself to assure that the UV disinfecting process includes all surfaces. “Some of the touchless features are already in use on some Boeing airplanes today,” Yu said. “But combining that with the new UV sanitizing will give passengers even more protection from germs and make for an even better flying experience.”
