Japanese bathrooms may become more hygienic in the future thanks to holographic button technology. Two technology companies presented a smart panel that displays commands in the air, in order to ensure less contact and reduce the proliferation of germs.
Parity Innovations, in partnership with Murakami Corporation, is working on Parity Mirror, a display that displays buttons holographically. The technology will be implemented in bathrooms to replace buttons and ensure a touchless experience during use.
Parity’s interactive screen will be equipped with Murakami infrared sensors. Thus, the system will display the buttons in the air and be able to detect the actions by mapping the positioning of the user’s fingers.
The technology draws a lot of attention in times of the coronavirus pandemic, as it can help reduce contact in public environments. The display with holographic buttons can also be applied in other locations, such as elevators and bank ATMs, according to Murakami Corporation.
The technology would be quite useful today, but the trend is that the application still takes time to happen. Murakami predicts that the smart screen with holographic buttons is not expected to hit the market until 2022, primarily in Japan.
Later this year, the Japanese company will start distributing samples of the technology to companies, but charging a membership fee. According to Murakami, the novelty will also be offered to certain hospitals, which may be exempt from paying for the use of technology because of the pandemic.
