Japanese airline debuts hands-free plane lavatory doors

Japanese airline ANA is trialing a new innovation that could make your next flight more hygienic -- bathroom doors that you can open without having to use your hands.

(CNN) — Japanese airline ANA is trialing a new innovation that could make your next flight more hygienic -- bathroom doors that you can open without having to use your hands. The airline will roll out 21 aircraft equipped with the doors across domestic flights in Japan beginning next week. The doors work by having a mechanical spring that allows people to press the door open with their elbows or forearms. The prototypes were created by ANA and JAMCO, a Japan-based company that creates products for the aviation industry, in fall 2020 as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. Until now, though, the only place to try one out was at ANA's lounge at Tokyo-Haneda Airport.