Computerised toothbrush makes oral hygiene a game - tech - 04 April 2008 - New Scientist Tech

Computerised toothbrush makes oral hygiene a game - tech - 04 April 2008 - New Scientist Tech: "Here's a novel way to encourage young children to brush up on their oral hygiene – turn a toothbrush into a simple version of a Nintendo Wii remote and turn a chore into a fun computer game.
Parents or professionals trying to teach young children to brush their teeth are faced with two problems. Many youngsters are unwilling to brush their teeth in the first place. Then, even if they can be persuaded, they often lack the skill to brush them effectively – for example, the average five-year old brushes only a quarter of their teeth.
Hao-hua Chu and his team at the National Taiwan University have come up with a novel solution using a 'learning through play' approach.
To the end of a normal toothbrush they added a simple box-shaped extension with a unique pattern of three LEDs on each face. These LEDs that can be tracked using computer vision technology."