Electric toothbrushes have become more and more popular as of late, but they all seem to do nothing 'special' - they just vibrate and move faster than normal toothbrushes. Japanese company Omron Healthcare, however, will today launch a toothbrush that will know exactly what part of your mouth you're brushing and will then automatically adjust and control its vibration speed and direction accordingly.


The Omron HT-B551 looks like any other electric toothbrush, but it's claimed to be the world's first electric toothbrush that's equipped with a three-axis sensor - in other words it features an accelerometer, just like the sensors on an iPhone that detects when you move the device.

If the toothbrush is brushing the surface of the back teeth (which cannot be easily polished), for example, it will boost the vibration speed to 32,500 cycles/minute, while slowing down to when it's brushing the more sensitive parts of your mouth.

The bristles will also vibrate vertically when you're brushing on the area between your teeth and gums (periodontal pockets), so that the bristles will reach deep into the pockets, while they'll vibrate horizontally when you're brushing the sides of your teeth.

The features of this smart toothbrush don't end there though - it also includes features that encourage proper dental hygiene, like LED brush timers, and instructive grip dents and contours for a variety of hand shapes, strengths and sizes.

Articles: Tech-On!, Gizmodo
Company Website: Omron Healthcare