Affective Interaction Design of Child Toothbrush (AIDOT)

Tooth decay is the most prevalent childhood disease in the world even though and it is the most preventable health-related problem with just regular and proper toothbrushing. The 2013 Children’s Dental Health Survey showed 46% of children in the UK develop teeth decay by the age of 15. Toothbrushing encouragement and education from early ages can build up good oral health habits in children and can improve public health. This project proposes an Affective Interaction Design of Toothbrush (AIDOT) which targets children in different age groups to improve their and their parents' experience of regular and effective toothbrushing. AIDOT project aims to design a smart toothbrush that interactively encourages children to correct their brushing habits and techniques through affective interfaces and gaming. Using 3D motion sensors and data fusion, the toothbrush detects its precise position and movements in mouth and connects to an app on the child's smartphone or tablet. The app launches age-specific games to interact with the user while brushing in real time. The toothbrush itself interacts with the child in forms of lights, colors and vibrations the same way an advanced game-console joystick would do. Pogolab Ltd. is lead company in this project. Pogolab has two PCT patent pending technology for toothbrush motion and location detection as well as toothbrush handle design. The company's expertise is user experience and industrial design. It was awarded startup award of year 2013 by Innovation RCA, an incubator funded by James Dyson Foundation. IOTICS is a partner in this project. IOTICS Ltd. is a startup in wearables technology and has experience in designing miniature electronic device for smart jewelry.