Boeing engineers have developed a toilet for planes able to cleanse itself, the process in which 99.99% of the germs are removed in just three seconds. Also, according to the company, the technology can eliminate unpleasant smells as well.

The in-depth cleaning is done using ultraviolet lights. This is different from that of the appliances for tanning and is not harmful to humans. Moreover, the cleaning system is activated only when the bathroom of the plane is empty.

“We’re trying to alleviate the anxiety we all face when using a restroom that gets a workout during a flight,” Jeanne Yu, director of environmental performance for Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, said in a statement.

Airbus is working on its own improvements for jetliner bathrooms, according to Ingo Wuggetzer, the European company’s vice president of marketing.

Boeing has filed an application to patent the new technology. According to company officials, more research is needed before the new toilet-cleaning system will be installed in aircrafts.

According to specialists, such toilet reduces the risk of spreading infectious diseases by passengers traveling from one continent to another. It can also lower the aircraft maintenance costs.

There is another interesting feature the prototype uses: the toilet lid goes up and down by himself, without the user to having to touch anything.