We now know that COVID spreads via airborne transmission more than by hanging out on dirty surfaces, but the pandemic has made people obsessed with scrubbing surfaces clean. (For an example of the harm this excessive cleaning is doing to our health, check out Innovation Hub's "Has Coronavirus Cleaning Gone Too Far?")

Japan's Parity Innovations, a tech startup, has capitalized on the public's hesitance to touch things by developing a no-contact, floating holographic keypad.

Produced in collaboration with the Murakami Corporation, a manufacturer of optical systems, their "Floating Pictogram Technology" produces bright, high-resolution images and reportedly accurate finger-sensing technology out of a relatively compact device. The developers envision it being integrated with ATM machines, elevators, kiosks and even public toilets with bidet features.

This month Murakami released sample systems to hospitals and manufacturers for evaluation. The hope is to refine their designs based on user feedback, with the aim of getting these into mass production next year.