As every parent knows, brushing your teeth is not a favorite activity for children. Sunstar Inc, a Japanese company of cosmetics and personal hygiene products, took charge of this problem. At Sunstar they have developed a smartphone application that can entice children to overcome their ingrained aversion to basic hygiene practices. An ordinary toothbrush thus becomes the main tool for an exciting game, allowing young users to simultaneously defeat plaque and the monsters of a sophisticated video game.
To play, special sensors must be applied to the toothbrush, which record the type of movement performed and the speed with which the toothbrush is maneuvered; the sensors communicate information to the smartphone via a wireless system. Brushing your teeth adequately and at the right speed defeats monsters, which, within three minutes – the game is so hard – fall one after another until the boss monster, the most powerful of all, is eliminated.
The application, which has already aroused some interest, will be available on the market by next summer at a price that the company has not yet established. But at Sunstar they went further: not only children – they thought – need to be motivated to brush their teeth, adults also willingly slip away. Thus, the Japanese company is studying similar applications for adults: from apps that recite the latest news to the rhythm of a perfect dental wash, to those that combine guitar chords or drum beats with each movement of the toothbrush.
Attachments: Asahi
