Scientists Developing New Wi-Fi-Enabled Tooth Sensor That Spies On Your Oral Habits

Scientists Developing New Wi-Fi-Enabled Tooth Sensor That Spies On Your Oral Habits

You might have definitely seen some people in your life who are addicted to Cigarettes, drinking, eating too much and who don't even listen to their doctor. In this case their loved ones used to get worried about them. Now for those people researchers at National Taiwan University have created a Wi-Fi-enabled tooth embedded sensor that will catch you in an unhealthy act by tracking data and sent to your doctor so he can shame you during your next checkup.

Designed to fit into an artificial tooth, it includes a tri-axial accelerometer that monitors mouth movements to figure out when the patient is chewing, drinking, speaking, or coughing.

This tooth sensor is attached to an external wire, but once researchers are able to incorporate an internal battery into the sensor itself, it could become a reality. Currently, it is about 94% accurate when it comes to identifying what is happening inside a person’s mouth.

The Wi-Fi-Enabled Tooth Sensor is attached to an external wire

Researchers imagine it would need to be removed for cleaning, and would require a charging and storage station, “similar to that of an electric toothbrush.”

There have been a lot of sensors like this lately (ones that are ‘wearable’ and can track biological data). This particular sensor can be attached to a real tooth, dentures or even braces. The results that the sensor generates can be sent directly to a doctor or nurse’s smartphone.

In addition to pursing battery power, the team is also looking into the possibility of adding Bluetooth to the device. This could allow a doctor to download recent data to a smartphone or tablet when you arrive at the office rather than uploading the data to a server over Wi-Fi.

The sensor uses an accelerometer to monitor mouth activity

There are a lot of applications for a tooth sensor like this. They go way beyond simply monitoring addictions. However, the researchers are still making sure it’s completely safe. After all, nobody would want to accidentally swallow it if it came loose from a tooth. In addition, the team has to make the device completely waterproof in order to avoid damage to the electronics. There are other safety concerns as well.

Beyond keeping tack of eating and smoking habits, the team believes that dentists could find this technology useful as well. In an interview with the New Scientist, Faculty of General Dental Practice vice-chair Trevor Johnson said “This could have a number of uses in dentistry, for example as a research tool, for monitoring patients who clench or grind their teeth, and for assessing the impact of various dental interventions.”

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Write by: RC - Sunday, August 4, 2013