TECH

AI comes to toothbrushes

Brushing one's teeth seems like a task too simple to require a technological revolution. Yet, a recently unveiled innovation shows that even this habit can change radically. A small device can now monitor the inside of the mouth while in use, interpret images in real-time, and make decisions without interrupting the brushing process. The concept sounds like something out of a futuristic laboratory, but it has already hit the market.

It is the result of six years of research, development, and engineering, challenging every aspect of conventional oral hygiene. While others fail to locate the spaces between teeth, the Dyson CameraJet™ succeeds. While the bristles of conventional sonic toothbrushes can snag on the tooth surface, Dyson’s variable sonic oscillation is designed to keep the bristles in motion. While traditional needle-like jets may simply pierce the plaque, Dyson’s conical jet is designed to remove more plaque while remaining gentler on gums and enamel.

"Flossing is a tedious and time-consuming chore. Few of us do it, even though we know we should. Dyson engineers and scientists spent over a decade studying oral hygiene habits and how debris accumulates in the mouth. Our research showed that people often neglect the very areas where plaque builds up: the spaces between the teeth."

Our goal was to solve three fundamental problems: how to visualize these gaps, how to remove plaque, and how to improve brushing performance.

By combining a camera, machine learning, precision fluid dynamics, advanced brushing technologies, connectivity, and Wi-Fi, the Dyson CameraJet™ introduces a whole new way to keep your mouth healthy,” said James Dyson, Founder and Chief Engineer.

The company behind this innovation is Dyson, a British firm known for vacuum cleaners, hair dryers, and other household appliances. Its latest venture takes the brand into new territory: oral care.

Dubbed the CameraJet, the device combines three functions that are usually separate. It performs conventional electric brushing, monitors the teeth via a camera, and uses irrigation to reach specific areas between them.

The most intriguing feature lies in the brush head itself. A 100,000-pixel macro camera has been installed there, capable of capturing 28 images per second as the user moves the device around their mouth.

However, the goal isn't simply to produce images of the teeth. A machine learning system called Gap Optical Targeting analyzes the captured footage and attempts to identify interdental spaces.

The technology must accomplish this while everything is in motion. The algorithm tracks the position of these gaps and calculates where they will be moments later, allowing another part of the device to activate at the precise moment.

According to the manufacturer, approximately 470,000 dental images were used to train the machine learning system. The software powering the product comprises roughly 16 million lines of code.

The artificial intelligence doesn't just observe; it also reacts...This is where the CameraJet stops looking like just an electric toothbrush with an attached camera.

When the algorithm identifies a gap between the teeth, the system can automatically trigger a small jet of liquid aimed at that area. The response occurs in approximately 100 milliseconds, without requiring the user to stop brushing to use a separate device. In practice, the idea is to combine brushing and irrigation into a single routine.

The liquid is stored in a 12.5-milliliter reservoir integrated into the device. After use, the base can refill it in about three seconds. An internal mechanism also aims to maintain pressure even when the user changes the position of the brush.

Incorporating the camera even created a curious problem for the engineers: too much foam obscures the system's view.

To address this, the company developed a low-foaming toothpaste, as well as a rinse designed to work with the irrigation mechanism. It is an example of how adding computer vision to an everyday object can necessitate changes to the very products used alongside it.

The camera has another feature that will likely attract as much attention as the artificial intelligence.

The CameraJet connects to a smartphone via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and works with the MyDyson app. This allows the user to view images captured by the device during cleaning and see areas of the mouth that would normally be difficult to view on their own.

The system can also provide information on brushing coverage, helping to identify areas that received less attention.

The presence of a camera inside a personal care product naturally raises privacy concerns. According to information released by the company and reported in the press, images are neither stored on the brush itself nor sent to cloud storage; the camera is used for live viewing or the automatic process of detecting interdental spaces.

The manufacturer also claims to have achieved superior plaque removal results in laboratory tests using simulated plaque. According to Dyson, the device removed nearly 70% more plaque in hard-to-reach areas compared to premium electric toothbrushes. However, this result was released by the company itself.

All this technology comes with a price tag to match...Transforming brushing into an experience driven by cameras, algorithms, and automatic irrigation does not come cheap. The CameraJet launched at $499. The package includes the base unit—which handles both charging and reservoir refilling—two heads, a power cable, and a carrying case. The heads are designed to last approximately three months, and the device itself tracks usage to notify you when it is time for a replacement.

The device is available in Ceramic Ultra Blue and Ceramic Pink versions.

More than simply adding artificial intelligence to another product, the news shows an interesting trend. Computer vision technologies, previously associated with smartphones, cars, robots and industrial systems, are beginning to migrate to extremely common objects.

After cameras learned to recognize faces, obstacles and environments, there is now one capable of looking for spaces between teeth and deciding, in a fraction of a second, exactly where to direct cleaning.

And perhaps this is the most curious part: the next great application of artificial intelligence could be hidden precisely in the objects we use every day.

 

mundophone