No, but it could be designed to be able to unlock from the outside.
I'm not saying that the manufacturer should be held responsible, though...
Yeah, I suppose that some sort of emergency release could be implemented, one that results in all the water spilling out. (I'm not being snarky, that's just the consequence that an "open immediately" function is going to have.) I have a feeling that many laundromats will just return to top-loaders instead of install those things.
I'm not saying that the manufacturer should be held responsible, though...
Understood! We're discussing hypotheticals here.