Back in 2007, Dr. Yong Jing-Wang had a problem: his young son Charles hated to brush his teeth. In fact, the problem got so bad that several of Charles’s teeth rotted, requiring expensive dental work. So, Dr. Wang did what every parent does when they get frustrated: he drank a bottle of vodka. Just kidding. He invented “the world’s first interactive smart toothbrush” and turned teeth brushing into a video game experience. In 2014, Dr. Wang launched, Grush The Gaming Toothbrush.



Teeth Brushing: From Chore To Interactive Game

Grush, which is short for “Gaming Toothbrush”, is a motion sensing toothbrush that knows exactly where it is in the mouth, as well as brushing movements, brush angle, and brushing force. It uses a ‘nine-degrees of freedom’ digital motion sensor and Bluetooth low energy technology to report its position to a wireless mobile device, which then translates the motion into graphical game movements.

Children then play a variety of games–destroy monsters, play the piano, and take care of their pets–in which they ultimately defeat levels and gain points for proper brushing. After each session, the kids are given a “Grush Factor”, which is a measurement of the quality of their brushing. Parents can monitor everything from the dashboard and reward their kids for keeping up with their teeth.