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So, Automatic Hand Washing Machines are a Thing

While most human beings know how to wash their hands, the managers of industrial-scale food processing facilities can’t afford for a harried worker to rush the job, miss some germs and contaminate a batch. This has given rise to a rather bizarre machine: The automatic handwashing station, which is “clinically proven to remove more than 99.9% of harmful pathogens from hands in 12 seconds using 75% less water than a traditional sink,” according to manufacturer Meritech.

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While these machines have been largely invisible to the public, in recent years they’ve popped up in barbecue restaurants, crab restaurants and even on Disney’s cruise ships. “We’re seeing, more and more, the trend moving towards front-of-the-house,” Meritech CTO Paul Barnhill told CBS News, who reports that an unnamed grocery chain has begun installing the machines in their produce sections.

With the pandemic expected to continue throughout 2021, it probably won’t be long before you see one of these pop up in your area.