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Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

penntoday.upenn.edu

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Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#191

Post by freeflight »

throwamon wrote: post #101
NikolaNovak wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've used regular $10-$25 electric tooth brush for a decade and assumed they're good enough. I've gotten Phillips Sonicare for holiday, and understanding that this is anecdotal evidence, I am shocked at its increased ability to dislodge food from the crevices. I could swear that sometimes the vibration it puts on the tooth, dislodges food from places it's not yet directly touching, just through the vibration through…

> Phillips Sonicare Which of them? There are many models, right?

I got a higher-end one as a present like a decade ago, I believe it was the Philips HX 6932/34 FlexCare.

Has a whole bunch of programs, most of which I didn't use, some I've come to like and wouldn't want to miss anymore; Extra white is for when you want to get them really polished, and gum care when you want to go to town with some gum message.

Getting the brush heads can be a bit of a running cost, original ones can be pricey, cheaper alternative "off-brand" brushes exist. But I'm not sure I want my gums brushed by something that alleges to be of some kind of material out of China.

Love the little UV box they can be bundled with; Usually will UV clean the brush head while showering, and when I get out to of the shower I have a freshly disinfected brush to toothbrush with.

Last year it started acting up, randomly turning on when not in use, until it didn't really work anymore.

Got myself the Philips Sonicare HX6850/57 ProtectiveClean 5100 as replacement. Not as high-end as the last one, sadly it also feels like it in build quality, but has all the programs I want and has been working fine so far.

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#192

Post by Retric »

arrosenberg wrote: post #185
Retric wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is trying to replace the bacteria population not the host. It’s like trying to stop drug use by busting drug dealers. As long as the niche exists a city can’t stop and say we caught all the bad guys problem is solved.

That analogy doesn't hold - the niche is still being filled. A better equivalent would be the synthol drink from Star Trek - it's the same bacteria, but modified to remove the most problematic part.

It’s the same relationship:

We might call it the same species, but the relevant chararistic changed is detrimental to a [human] host but beneficial to the [bacteria] parasite.

We might call it the same species, but the relevant chararistic changed is detrimental to a [city] host but beneficial to the [drug dealer] parasite.

Consider if you removed all the wings on misquotes in a city. That would be useful on day 1, but not going to do anything a year from now. It’s the same species, but missing a very useful trait means it’s getting outcompeted.

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#196

Post by _def »

ggm wrote: post #181

I am really tired of the hijacking of concepts like "bot" or "robot" to mean "small magnetic particles which form a virtual scrubbing brush, and we make them move by rotating a magnetic field" these are lumps of magnetite. they have no autonomous element, no programming, no decision logic, no ALU, no FPGA, no WiFi, no data, no analogue computer, nothing. Its not smart dust: its dumb dust and a rotating magnet. Its no…

Thanks for the explanation, as I was really wondering what the robotic aspect is in this.

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#197

Post by arrosenberg »

Retric wrote: post #192
arrosenberg wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That analogy doesn't hold - the niche is still being filled. A better equivalent would be the synthol drink from Star Trek - it's the same bacteria, but modified to remove the most problematic part.

It’s the same relationship: We might call it the same species, but the relevant chararistic changed is detrimental to a [human] host but beneficial to the [bacteria] parasite. We might call it the same species, but the relevant chararistic changed is detrimental to a [city] host but beneficial to the [drug dealer] parasite. Consider if you removed all the wings on misquotes in a city. That would be useful on day 1, b…

> Consider if you removed all the wings on misquotes in a city.

That's not an accurate analogy for biofilms. Even if it was, I noted below that the mechanical action of brushing your teeth annihilates any biofilm (i.e. plaque) that has built up. That being the case, how do you explain the fact that people who brush their teeth are not suffering from infection from advantageous disease?

If you wipe out your gut flora, there are health serious implications. All evidence seems to point to the opposite case in your mouth.

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#198

Post by paranoidrobot »

vorpalhex wrote: post #180
godelski wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Talk to your dental hygienist and they will confirm this. Mine told me a story recently of when she was in school they were graded on how little plaque they had on their teeth. So her and all her friends did everything they could. New toothbrushes, flossing, the metal scrapers, and helping each other. No one removed everything and I guess that's the point of the lesson. Plaque builds up quickly and over time. Wh…

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Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#199

Post by throwntoday »

ggm wrote: post #181

I am really tired of the hijacking of concepts like "bot" or "robot" to mean "small magnetic particles which form a virtual scrubbing brush, and we make them move by rotating a magnetic field" these are lumps of magnetite. they have no autonomous element, no programming, no decision logic, no ALU, no FPGA, no WiFi, no data, no analogue computer, nothing. Its not smart dust: its dumb dust and a rotating magnet. Its no…

I'd like to second this and just say, please leave these kind of posts on reddit. There's nothing of interest or relevance to technology here.

I come to this site for substantive links, not clickbait.

Re: Microrobots can brush and floss teeth in a proof-of-concept study

#200

Post by simonebrunozzi »

bmau5 wrote: post #60

This is very interesting and has a lot of potential, especially for people who struggle to brush their teeth, but I think there's another future where brushing and flossing largely become obsolete. If we could develop a more effective mouthwash tailored to restoring each persons oral microbiome we could likely reduce the need for brushing and flossing and instead replace it with a daily mouth rinse that clears out fo…

Interesting. Could you share a bit more, without revealing stuff that you don't want to share in public?
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