Coronavirus: New Eco Antimicrobial Tool Hygiene Hand Helps You Avoid Touching Shared Surfaces

New York-based tactical gear company StatGear recently launched a new Kickstarter campaign for their upcoming product Hygiene Hand. The product is designed to be used on public shared surfaces such as lift buttons, door handles and ATM keypads and screens, so users can avoid touching using their hands. As people become more conscious of personal hygiene amidst the coronavirus pandemic, new tools such as Hygiene Hand are being innovated to keep up with evolving consumer concerns. 

StatGear, a survival products company founded by a former New York paramedic, recently created a new Kickstarter campaign for Hygiene Hand, a solid brass keychain that can be used on public shared surfaces so users can avoid touching with their bare hands. The everyday carry keychain is designed for multiple uses, from pushing buttons to opening doors, and it even works as a stylus on digital screens for purposes such as signing for deliveries on tablets and ATM screens. 

The material it is made out of, brass, is inherently antimicrobial, which helps decrease the risk of spreading germs while people continue to perform their everyday tasks amid the pandemic, such as visiting the supermarket. In addition, it is 100% recyclable, though the durability of the tool itself will also ensure a long lifespan. 

Since the launch of its Kickstarter campaign, Hygiene Hand has already exceeded its US$5,000 goal. The tool is expected to retail for US$25, and will begin shipping internationally in May this year. 

Hygiene Hand comes as the pandemic has heightened everyday concerns about the cleanliness of surfaces and the spread of germs. With reports that coronavirus pathogens may last on surfaces for up to 72 hours, more people are looking for innovative devices or tools such as Hygiene Hand to minimise contact. 

Avi Goldstein, the founder and CEO of StatGear, explained that the concept for Hygiene Hand arose precisely due to his own concerns about the sanitation of public items used in our daily routines. “As the days went by and the coronavirus spread I became more and more aware how many times I have to touch things that must be full of germs…elevator buttons, buttons to pay by credit card at stores and gas pumps and of course pulling open doors to public bathrooms,” he wrote in his Kickstarter memo. 

Another Kickstarter campaign by Arizona-based Avonlea Sargent is now crowdsourcing funding for Virus Hook, a similar device that works as a bottle opener, hook and button pusher. The tool, which is 3D-printed, also has a pocket clip attached. The campaign has already exceeded its initial goal of US$999, and hopes to start delivering its product this month. 

As the coronavirus lingers, big name brands are also joining in to divert their operations to create products geared to help the global effort to combat the pandemic. Luxury brand conglomerate LVMH, which owns the likes of Louis Vuitton and Dior, has begun producing hand sanitiser instead of perfume, and Christian Siriano has turned its fashion houses to sew face masks for healthcare workers. High-end household appliance brand Dyson, on the other hand, is working on creating ventilators to meet the demands of the stressed healthcare system.  

Read our earlier Covid-19 coverage here. 

All images courtesy of StatGear / Hygiene Hand.