‘First toothbrush with artificial intelligence’ debuts at CES 2017

This smart electric toothbrush collects data about users' brushing habits, even when not connected to its corresponding app.
 
Kolibree, a tech firm specialising in dental products, is presenting the Ara toothbrush at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) this week.
 
The product is designed to help users improve their oral health, by providing feedback about brushing techniques collected by integrated artificial intelligence (AI).
 
"Ara is Kolibree's newest innovation for personalised healthcare, with an eye on disease prevention and wellness," said Kolibree founder and CEO Thomas Serval.
 
The brush uses low-energy Bluetooth to connect to an app, which displays brushing data including frequency, duration and areas covered.
 
But even when not linked up to the app, it still collects and stores this data until transferring it over during automatic syncing. The firm claims that the ability to work in "offline" mode is an industry first.
 
The brush's AI learns its user's habits to provide more accurate data.
 
"Patented deep learning algorithms are embedded directly inside the toothbrush on a low-power processor," said Serval.
 
"Raw data from the sensors runs through the processor, enabling the system to learn your habits and refine accuracy the more it's used."
 
It can also send weekly emails presenting a review of brushing data and analysis over a seven-day period.
 
Ara cleans teeth like other electric toothbrushes, using bristles and sonic vibrations to effectively remove plaque. It weighs 2.5 ounces (70 grams), and boasts a two-week battery life.
 
Ara will initially be priced at $129 (£105), and available to pre-order from the end of February 2017. During the spring, it will be the subject of a large clinical study in the USA and Europe on how AI can help to improve oral health.
 
CES is taking place from 5 to 8 January 2017 in Las Vegas, where tech products from concept cars to Lego robots are also on show.

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