Here’s some news you can really sink your teeth into: Scientists are using high-tech mouth sensors to monitor human health. Researchers at the Tufts University School of Engineering in Massachusetts have developed sensors so small they fit right on a human tooth. These fang-mounted, wireless instruments register data about what the user eats and drinks—and may someday do much more.
Wireless wearables like fitness trackers, pulse sensors, heart monitors, and even smart shirts have become powerful tools in the field of healthcare. Wearables are showing up in unusual places and performing amazing tasks.
But to explore the mouth, researchers needed extremely rugged, user-friendly technology. Oral wearables must overcome bulky mouth guards, awkward wires, and sensors unable to withstand a constantly damp environment. (Hello, slobber!) But today, dental devices measure concussions, control smart braces, and detect jaw clenching. Some even tattle about whether you’re wearing your retainer. (Uh-oh.)
More recently, Tufts engineers produced a sensor that’s just 2mm x 2mm—about the size of four pinheads! The device is flexible too, so it bonds right to a tooth’s bumps and grooves. The tooth sensor measures alcohol, glucose, and salt intake.
The devices, called RF-Trilayer sensors, use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Some high-tech stores use RFID tags to track inventory without even putting a customer through a checkout line. RFID technology also powers the tiny gold chips on some credit cards.
The RF tooth sensor contains a central absorbing layer and two square-shaped gold layers. The layers collect and transmit radiofrequency waves whenever food or liquid enters the mouth. Researchers compare this collection-transmission phenomenon to how a car activates an electronic toll on a highway.
Different food substances cause the sensor to emit different RF waves. The waves tell scientists what the wearer is eating.
Right now, the sensors identify only a few substances. But Fiorenzo Omenetto, a Tufts researcher, says scientists should be able to alter the central layer. Doing so would help them detect others. He adds, “We are really limited only by our creativity.”
What a gift creativity is! God hardwired humans to reflect His image (Genesis 1:27) and that includes the ability to imagine remarkable technologies.
Scientists hope future versions will record nutrients, chemicals, and perhaps even detect physical ailments or conditions. With access to the mind of the One who formed the universe, anything is possible.
