Getting kids to brush their teeth can be an epic battle of wills, but if Kolibree has its way, parents won't have to struggle to get their kids brushing two times a day. Kolibree is a smart toothbrush that not only tells you how well you brushed, but also turns it into a game.
Kolibree is a Bluetooth toothbrush that connects to your smartphone or tablet and sends brushing data to an app on your mobile device for analysis. The app tells you how long you brushed, how much area you covered, what you missed, and more. It's a dentist's dream. The app collects all your brushing statistics, so you can compare how well you brushed today versus yesterday and aim to improve your score.
Kolibree has also opened up the smart toothbrush app to third-party developers with an API. Kolibree hopes that many game developers will take an interest in Kolibree to make dental hygine more fun for kids and their parents. After all, if it's fun, kids will want to do it often and well, so that they can win.
"The Kolibree toothbrush can transform the way people brush their teeth. Kolibree is spearheading the concept of crowdbrushing; the more data we receive on people's brushing habits, the more reliable and accurate the software is, which is a significant benefit to users and the community at large," Loic Cessot, CPO and co-founder, said in a statement. "For the first time, we'll have usage data that will benefit us as consumers take better control of our health and to dentists who can better serve their patients."
Kolibree users can even share their data with their dentist to get more feedback on what they need to do to keep their mouth healthy and clean. The Kolibree app collects a lot of brushing data that could potentially help dentists serve their patients better. The makers of Kolibree also consulted with dentists when designing the toothbrush and the app.
"The incredibly positive response we've had so far is affirmation of a product that not only transforms a behavior we do every day, but also of the growing awareness of how connected devices can help us all gain better control of issues impacting our overall health and well-being," Cessot said.
Kolibree also comes with a wireless charger, so you don't have to worry about replacing batteries every month. Right now, Kolibree is still in the working prototype phase, but the company recently launched a Kickstarter project to get the idea off the ground. At the time of writing, Kolibree had raised $30,451 of its $70,000 goal and still had 40-plus days left in the campaign. A pledge of $99 will even get you a Kolibree toothbrush. Kolibree expects to release its toothbrush in October, assuming it meets its fund-raising goals.
