'A hygienic tool for daily use': Lebanese designer launches antimicrobial no-touch device

Made from solid brass, the instrument helps users avoid contact with surfaces potentially contaminated

Made from solid brass, the device has antimicrobial qualities. Courtesy Anna K Interiors

A Lebanese interior design studio has created a “no-touch tool” to help people avoid contact with surfaces that are potentially contaminated.

In videos on its social media channels, Anna K Interiors shows how its latest creation can be used to push lift buttons, open and close doors, turn on taps, flush toilets, punch in your pin at the ATM and more.

“In response to the global Covid-19 pandemic, we decided to support the community and create a hygienic tool for daily use that can help reduce the spread of the virus,” says the studio’s founder, interior architect Anna Khoury.

The oddly shaped device, which is inspired by a flamingo, can be attached to your key ring and features a finger loop, push tip and inverted hook. “A flamingo has an exquisite ability to take on a flexible form. It can transform its body to adapt to its site, which is what we need to do in the current situation,” says Khoury.

Most importantly, the device is crafted from solid brass, which, because of its high levels of copper, has strong antimicrobial properties. "The antimicrobial effect of copper has been known for hundreds of years. It is thought to occur as a result of a charge exchange between copper and bacteria, which leads to a degradation of the bacteria DNA,” noted Dr John Bond, from the department of chemistry at Leicester University, in a 2014 research paper.

However, that same study found that human sweat “can reduce the effectiveness of bacteria-fighting brass” – something to keep in mind if you plan on investing in this new anti-touch tool.

The device is currently only available in Lebanon, where it is made, but Khoury plans to begin selling in the GCC imminently and says she “is open to collaborative opportunities”.