A tech company in Shizuoka, Japan, has developed a contact-free hologram control panel to enable touch-less contact with public toilets in Japan.

The Murakami Corporation developed the Floating Pictogram Technology (FPT) control panel, which relies on 'air-floating image' optical technology, enabling users to “press” buttons without actually touching a physical panel. This is in part due to the panel’s incorporated spatial sensing technology, which locates the placement of the user’s finger in the air via algorithm.

Source: Murakami Corporation

According to the company, such a system could conceivably eliminate physical contact with high traffic public surfaces — ATM machines, self-checkout screens, public toilets and elevator buttons to name just a few — long thought to harbor dangerous bacteria and viruses — a feature that is particularly critical amid a global pandemic.

In addition to public toilets, the company believes the hologram control panel could also be easily applied to other high-touch public surfaces and expects to trial the technology in healthcare and manufacturing settings.

The Murakami Corporation expects to make the technology commercially available by 2022.