#HTE

A Heavy-Duty Hands-Free Door Opener

With COVID risks receding, we’re going to be left with a rash of pandemic-based objects that may or may not make it through history. Some supermarkets are removing their plastic shields, and I assume people stopped buying objects like that brass Hygiene Hand (which wound up landing $585k on Kickstarter!).

I thought of this as I came across this object today, though it was obviously designed for 2020. This Hands-Free Door Handle Lever Opener was invented by MYT Wares, a Brooklyn-based manufacturer of camera dolly equipment, and won a Good Design Award:

The $150 item (each—and you need two) certainly looks robust in operation:

We could actually use something like that here on the farm (hands full of tools, eggs or birds is common), though most of our doorknobs are actual knobs.

The company still appears to be selling these, or at least the website is still active. I wonder how much of this stuff will find a life after the pandemic’s receded completely.