When Minority Report was released in 2002, it seemed like an unbelievable science fiction film. Predictive crime software was everywhere and shoppers were greeted by digital assistants who knew everything about them.
The Smart Tooth is the latest predictive device, which monitors the movement of the mouth, to bring that world closer to us.
The inventors, from National Taiwan University, say it could be used by doctors to monitor the amount of coughing caused by respiratory problems or to check how much time someone spends chewing, speaking, drinking or coughing.
To test it, eight volunteers had a tooth-like sensor attached to their teeth, which accurately identified what the mouth was doing 94% of the time.
Whether or not it’s a success, it’s shocking to think that people could soon have tracking devices on their teeth to monitor their eating and smoking habits.
It’s all part of the trend by companies to gather data about users’ behaviour. Companies like Google and Apple nowadays just want to track everything and any thing they can.
Using predictive technology, their apps can now track your location and check online maps for routes and real-time travel information before you even ask them to.
As helpful as these apps can be, doesn’t the idea of having increasing amounts of digital trackers following and knowing all our habits seem a little scary?
As for healthcare benefits, none of this would be necessary if people were taught to use their brains and will power. And will patients feel more engaged with doctors with yet another gadget that separates them? Let us know your thoughts.
