How Hand-dryers Work
Unless you’re a gross evil monster (or you use paper towels) you probably encounter one of these at least once a day:
But how do these magical machines work? How do they manage to do the incredible job of almost drying your hands in a mere 2–3 minutes? That’s what we’ll cover in today’s “How X Works”. Sources used: My gut. My gut is always right about these things.
It all begins when you place your hands underneath the machine. At the bottom of the dryer is a small set of high-definition cameras. These cameras each capture a seperate, high-definition image of the underside of the device. These feeds are combined by a post-processing algorithm to create a three-dimensional rendering of any objects detected beneath the dryer. Then, the dryer runs an object-recognition algorithm to search and identify hands. To optimize airflow, the rendered objects are sent via 4G wireless to a server farm in Des Moines, Iowa.
Once your hands arrive in Iowa, they are run through a series of algorithms to determine various properties, from the dimensions of your hand, to the estimated moisture level, and the power required to dry your hands. Finally, the data center determines a set of 347 parameters based on your hands, and sends these parameters via 4G wireless to your dryer.
Here’s where the real magic happens! An in-built micro-nuclear reactor generates high-pressure steam, which turns a turbine to power the drier. The drier’s heating mechanisms are heated to your optimized temperature level, and laser-guided jets pump air towards your hands. Within 2–3 minutes, your wet hand is dried almost completely, and only a few germ colonies are grown in the perfect growing conditions created by the heat jets. Now, isn’t that so much better than a damn paper towel?
