Health & Wellbeing

Kolibree smart toothbrush keeps an eye on your oral hygiene

Kolibree smart toothbrush keeps an eye on your oral hygiene
Kolibree is fitted with an accelerometer, gyroscope and a magnetometer to encourage good brushing habits
Kolibree is fitted with an accelerometer, gyroscope and a magnetometer to encourage good brushing habits
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Kolibree records data such as the time, duration and frequency of the brush along with which teeth are properly cleaned and those that are being neglected
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Kolibree records data such as the time, duration and frequency of the brush along with which teeth are properly cleaned and those that are being neglected
The mobile app will be free and compatible with Bluetooth 3.0 equipped iOS and Android devices, while various models of the toothbrush will be available, prices ranging from US$99 to $100
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The mobile app will be free and compatible with Bluetooth 3.0 equipped iOS and Android devices, while various models of the toothbrush will be available, prices ranging from US$99 to $100
Kolibree is an electric tooth brush powered by rechargeable battery which send brushing data to your smartphone
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Kolibree is an electric tooth brush powered by rechargeable battery which send brushing data to your smartphone
Brushing patterns and other data is sent via Bluetooth to the companion smartphone app
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Brushing patterns and other data is sent via Bluetooth to the companion smartphone app
Kolibree is fitted with an accelerometer, gyroscope and a magnetometer to encourage good brushing habits
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Kolibree is fitted with an accelerometer, gyroscope and a magnetometer to encourage good brushing habits
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Along with some rather unnerving, spinning pieces of metal, our dentists are always drilling into us the importance of a proper brushing technique. Some of us, however, would be guilty of cutting a corner or two in our time, perhaps before rushing out the door in the morning or after dozing off on the couch at night. Aiming to make sure we always uphold the gold standard of oral hygiene is Kolibree, a French start-up whose smart toothbrush is designed to track your brushing efforts to make sure you're hitting those harder to reach places.

Kolibree newest contribution to the Internet of Things is fitted with an accelerometer, gyroscope and a magnetometer, which the company says allows the device to record data, such as the time, duration and frequency of the brush, along with which teeth are properly cleaned, and those that are being neglected.

This information is in turn sent via Bluetooth to a companion smartphone app, allowing the user to monitor their brushing habits and share them with their family or dentist (or if they prefer, keep them to themselves).

The mobile app will be free and compatible with Bluetooth 3.0 equipped iOS and Android devices, while various models of the toothbrush will be available, prices ranging from US$99 to $100
The mobile app will be free and compatible with Bluetooth 3.0 equipped iOS and Android devices, while various models of the toothbrush will be available, prices ranging from US$99 to $100

Kolibree isn't alone in the world of connected toothbrushes. Back in 2012 we looked at the Bluetooth-connected Beam toothbrush, which similarly tracks brushing habits through a smartphone app to promote healthier teeth and gums. The main point of difference for the Kolibree, however, is that it's an electric tooth brush powered by rechargeable battery, whereas the Beam requires manual brushing.

With a Kickstarter campaign set to launch in the near future, Kolibree says it aims to begin shipping its toothbrush in the third quarter of 2014. The mobile app will be free and compatible with Bluetooth 3.0 equipped iOS and Android devices, while various models of the toothbrush will be available at prices ranging from US$99 to $200.

Source: Kolibree

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4 comments
4 comments
Jonny Midnight
Do people need to be monitored in every single thing they do, these days? What, exactly, is wrong with the 2 minute rule, that we were taught, as children? And if you can't remember which part of your own mouth you just brushed for 2 minutes, you have more serious issues than oral health.
captain_obvious
My toothbrush connected to my phone? How was I able to live the last forty years without this?
Mark Keller
Can't wait for the brush camera footage and the cavity/plaque/receding gum line sensors to come!
Mia H
Surely the oral health of people who can afford smart phones, a $100 + tooth brush, and have the time to search for an app like this and use it, is fairly ok, and any extra dental monitoring would be a bit superfluous. I kinda wish time and energy put into things like this was rather put into solutions for people whose dental education, health and resources are poor.