Tattletale tooth sensor tells your doctor if you’ve been smoking or overeating
Posted in: Today's Chili
It’s official: humans suck at self-discipline so much, researchers thought it necessary to create a tooth sensor that detects if you’re smoking or stuffing your face and can tell doctors about it. The National Taiwan University Team led by Hao-hua Chu recently tested prototypes by gluing them to eight people’s dentures. Thanks to the device’s accelerometers, it was able to differentiate between chewing, smoking, speaking and coughing 94 percent of the time. It would’ve been better if it could also distinguish healthy food from not, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. After all, the scientists first have to develop an onboard power source (the prototypes required external batteries) and mouth-safe Bluetooth connectivity to transmit data to smartphones. Also, the team wants to shrink the already-teensy sensor down so it can fit inside cavities or on crowns. We don’t know about you, bu in the future we might choose between cavity-healing gel or these high tech fillings.
Via: Motherboard, New Scientist
Source: National Taiwan University
