Wi-Fi-Enabled Tooth Sensor Rats You Out When You Smoke Or Overeat 118
Daniel_Stuckey writes "Researchers at National Taiwan University have created a tooth-embedded sensor that will catch you in an unhealthy act, whatever it may be, and lets your doctor know so he can shame you during your next checkup. The sensor consists of a tiny circuit that fits inside a tooth cavity and can be rigged into dentures and dental braces. The circuit is able to recognize the jaw motions of drinking, chewing, coughing, speaking, and smoking, and the results get sent directly to your doctor's smartphone."
Not if I can OUCH help it (Score:5, Funny)
Only fee more teef to pull.
no thank you (Score:1)
I will pass on having my tooth hacked...by a dentist or hacker.
Why the doctor? (Score:4, Insightful)
I think this would be 100x more effective if it just gave you a mild shock or direct feedback, instead of waiting for the rare doctor's (dentist's?) visit.
Heck, even to my own smartphone would be better... No doctor needed to see a nice graph. Maybe some optional social integration for those who like to be socially encouraged to do better.
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I think this would be 100x more effective if it just gave you a mild shock or direct feedback, instead of waiting for the rare doctor's (dentist's?) visit.
Heck, even to my own smartphone would be better... No doctor needed to see a nice graph. Maybe some optional social integration for those who like to be socially encouraged to do better.
I recommend the Ren Hoek approach to overeating - a fridge with a big padlock on it.
Re:Why the doctor? (Score:4, Insightful)
Or your insurance agent! Smoke one in the bar while drinking...rates go up on Monday.
Let me be the first to say, HOLY CRAP.
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Or your insurance agent! Smoke one in the bar while drinking...rates go up on Monday.
Let me be the first to say, HOLY CRAP.
Rates going up is better than having your wife put into that room with the electro-shock floor and you have to watch it. (Ref: Cat's Eye)
Re: Why the doctor? (Score:2, Insightful)
It's because most people have to pay for a doctor's appointment.
The whole approach is ridiculous anyway, how it got past being on paper I don't know. I can only speak for myself when it comes to addictions, but it seems like people who act compulsively very often already feel guilt and shame, and lots of it...unless someone was desperate out of their minds I can't see how it would help to have their smartphones "shaming" them via pop-up messages. If they were that desperate being constantly reminded only of
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In Canada I didn't pay for my doctor. While traveling I do, but I rarely have the same doctor twice...
Well I could see this as kinda being like an early warning system.. "What you are doing isn't good for you." or "You are reaching the point of excess, slow down." This way you could receive feedback before it is a debilitating addiction or illness. Prevention rather than cure.
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You mean you didn't DIRECTLY pay for your doctor. You sound like one of those brain-dead morons that support Obamacare because "FREE HEALTH CARE! IT DON"T COST ME NUTHIN'"
WTF? You sir are insane.
1. No, I didn't directly pay for my doctor, but that has not effect on my point because I was responding to the comment that most people "pay for a doctor's appointment," which in Canada, isn't true. There is no additional cost to me if I need to go to the doctor once or many times. That part is "included with the package."
2. I don't even need an opinion on Obamacare cause I'm not American, nor use American services. Not that my vote counts for anything in our attempt at democracy
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There was clearly some confusion regarding your country of origin, canadiannomad. What I found most confusing was the following sentence, which implied to me that you were in America:
In Canada
I suggest changing your name to dangforeignernomad, and spelling out "I am foreigner, nice meet you," before any further attempts at communication take place.
early warning system to get on the black list GOP (Score:2)
early warning system to get on the black list under the gop healthcare plan
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But then how will we get the shame? Without shame from an authority figure how could you possibly change your behavior?
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As if doctors and/or dentists can't already tell about your habits without a monitoring device. Are you obese? You are clearly eating unhealthy food! Are your teeth rotting out with cavities? Well a) you're probably not brushing correctly/enough and b) clearly you're having a lot of sugar.
What the world DOES need is a monitor of your caloric intake, and a monitor of your burn rate. Summarize over the course of the day, show the net balance, and suddenly the world gets thinner.
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"... Maybe some optional social integration for those who like to be socially encouraged to do better."
Perhaps broadcast a msg to all the nearest hotties that you're eating like a pig or working on your cancer quotient?
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Simulating a major toothache should get their attention.
And the practical reason for this is?... (Score:4, Insightful)
And the practical reason for this is what, exactly?
Do the doctor can tell them they shouldn't have done, something they already did, and already know shouldn't have?
Maybe, just maybe, HMO and insurance companies could benefit from this but, the person? How exactly?
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A lot of people seem to sort of think of doctors as an authority figure who tells them not to do "bad" stuff. Maybe this product is trying to strengthen that view?
Of course, it's not clear anyone asked the doctors if they want that role, or this addition information. What are doctors going to do with thousands of smartphone notifications about their patients doing dumb things?
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As a physician, I constantly tell patients not to do things (or to do other things). Does that help? Not usually.
Why do I persist in doing it? Not sure. There's a quote about that around here somewhere. Something about insanity....
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This is the New Economy 2.0. You are a product. Nothing benefits you, it benefits the corporations.
This shift was bad for you. It was fantastic for Google, Facebook, etc., etc.
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Take your pill citizen!
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And the practical reason for this is what, exactly?
Didn't you see the part about recognizing when you're speaking? With a little more work they can probably get it converted to a full-fledged listening device, and then have it send your communications right to the NSA. No need to partner with telecoms to get your conversation and risk leaks from disgruntled employees, and now you can't outwit them by staying off the phone or email.
Only a tinfoil hoodie will protect you now, just don't go walking around in Florida wearing it.
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And the practical reason for this is what, exactly?
It has a vibration sensor, right in the jaw. It can listen to everything you say or whisper. Gives new meaning to "hiding a wire." Just wait for the the first spook^H^H^H^H^Hhacker....
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And the practical reason for this is what, exactly?
Do the doctor can tell them they shouldn't have done, something they already did, and already know shouldn't have?
Maybe, just maybe, HMO and insurance companies could benefit from this but, the person? How exactly?
The person will benefit because the insurance company will offer lower premiums in exchange for having this device fitted and a clause that means they can opt out of covering any medical expenses that are a consequence of your overeating/smoking/etc. Of course your insurance company and you may have different interpretations of the word 'benefit'.
Like any electronic device though it should be easy to destroy. Sticking your head in the microwave on high for 30 seconds should short it out.
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This. In the U.S. even oppression is privatized.
Why Fi? (Score:2)
You saw me drinking alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
Um.. no (Score:2)
Unnecessary drilling (Score:2)
What sort of people get their teeth drilled often enough that this is an option? If you have good teeth, do you really want the unnecessary drilling to put this device in? Even if you have bad teeth, how often do you need those fillings replaced? Do you really want to take them out early just you can change the battery in this device?
And then there is the problem of what happens if the device does not survive the hostile environment inside a human mouth and starts leaking whatever toxic chemicals it is m
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Inb4 unscrupulous insurance companies (Score:2)
Keep your sensors (Score:2)
isn't this what we have BlueTooth for? (Score:2)
Or is this BrownTooth?
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Brown tooth goes .... uh... you know.
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No, no, no. Put THIS one in your mouth, this one in your ear and this one up your butt.
I see what you're saying . . . (Score:1)
Perhaps it would be best to use this for people who are already at risk for tooth decay or health problems that warrant replacement teeth, but unless you work out a way to hook it up to a voice recognition device for dictation, it's worthless to me!
Recognizing Jaw Motions (Score:3)
Here's a jaw movement for it to recognize:
"FUCK your bullshit surveillance state, you avaricious Stasi dog-fuckers."
Seriously, I presume the installation will eventually become compulsory, since no person in their right fucking mind would ever, ever consent to having a goddamn tattler installed in their cranium.
Up next: Neural sensor that can tell when you've committed a thoughtcrime, and wirelessly reports it to the proper authorities.
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Compulsory? No. They'll just send your insurance costs through the roof/garnish your wages to near-nothing if you don't agree to comply. See? We knew you'd make the right choice. It's for your own good, you know, and think of how unfair it is to everyone else if you put more burdens on health care than you have to.
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I'm more afraid of them developing one that would tell my wife.
Well, I mean, you wouldn't need to worry if you stopped putting your mouth around all those dicks...
This article was more promising... (Score:1)
...when I misread the title as "when you smoke or overheat". One little H turns it from a bizarre desire to know why people's mouths are overheating to an "anyone who would have this installed voluntarily is an idiot, and anyone who would allow it to be installed involuntarily needs a backbone installed as well."
I knew it! (Score:3, Funny)
As a certified paranoiac I relish reading such news, it makes me feel warm and cozy because I'm right after all, my teeth do phone strangers.
Damn.. (Score:2)
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So, in addition to being able to track your location by following your cell-phone, they'll be able to follow your teeth now.
It this related to those "Alien Probes" that we keep hearing about?
Not sure about that, but I understand that the procedure in these cases involves wrapping a wet towel around your head and getting your ass to Mars.
Strat
International Travel? (Score:1)
Remember the tooth! The tooth! The tooth... (Score:3)
Just don't bite down on it too hard.
I can see it now... (Score:2)
Doctor: "According to your readouts, you've been eating waaay too much ice cream over the last few months! Almost every night, and at some pretty odd hours too! Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Patient: "Uhh...yeah. Ice cream...it was ice cream, for sure! Ah, sorry doc, will try to do better..."
Results get sent directly to your doctor's phone (Score:2)
and the NSA, of course.
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And your HMO.
After all, that cigarette you snuck is grounds to cancel your policy.
And ... (Score:2)
And I'd get this why? Have we reached an age where we're expected to get microchip implants so people can monitor what we do?
Fuck that.
Not as useful as it ought to be (Score:2)
The circuit is able to recognize the jaw motions of drinking, chewing, coughing, speaking, and smoking, and the results get sent directly to your doctor's smartphone."
It would be much more useful to have a circuit to recognize CHOKING than smoking, and the market would be much larger....
It's a trap! (Score:2)
Selectivity (Score:2)
That device does not seem very selective. It will catch someone chewing gum, but miss someone drinking sodas.
IMO the more you chew, the better for your health. It means you consume real food
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Placing wifi-devices in close proximity to your brain doesn't sound like a smart idea.
Unless you are evil and trying to get more people to use your company owned hospitals or reduce the population.
Re:Cancer anyone? (Score:4, Insightful)
Placing wifi-devices in close proximity to your brain doesn't sound like a smart idea.
It's non-ionizing radiation and presumably won't have enough power for thermal heating to be a concern, so I don't think you need to be too worried.
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Placing wifi-devices in close proximity to your brain doesn't sound like a smart idea.
It's non-ionizing radiation and presumably won't have enough power for thermal heating to be a concern, so I don't think you need to be too worried.
Well, how about this from "the i-know-what-you-ate-last-summer dept." -- isn't it about time to consider better dental care anyway?
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That does seem to be the point. Or didn't you RTFS?
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On the third hand, the sun heats your head up far more than any cell phone ever could when you're outdoors and the human race hasn't suddenly gone extinct, which is a pretty good indication that whatever heating a cell phone causes has no effect on your health.
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And the way you know that the only mechanisms for cancer are ionizing radiation and heating is... what exactly?
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And the way you know that the only mechanisms for cancer are ionizing radiation and heating is... what exactly?
Fail.
Cancer requires DNA damage. There's lots of ways to damage DNA but device only has (low power) heating and non-ionizing radiation.
(...also cellphones, routers, etc. None of those devices are injecting you with chemicals or producing particulate radiation!)
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Neither does asbestos, yet it still causes cancer.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1567531/ [nih.gov]
There are other examples as well. The idea that we know a complete list of ways in which physical or chemical agents can cause cancer is simply unscientific bullshit.
Yeah, specifically your fail.
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In what way is this not "injecting you with chemicals" ?
Have you never handled fibrous asbestos? It sticks into your skin and irritates exactly like a thousand tiny needles. Because it is penetrating the skin and irritating the nerves underneath. How it stops, I don't know
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Yeah but 'radiation' is a scary word - so it MUST do something bad. I mean, people get headaches, sometimes.
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Get the fuck off the internet, moron.
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Nor does giving people with potential health issues further reason not to see a doctor or dentist.
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Nope.
Would love to leave it there but should just elaborate to say this unevidenced assertion flatly contradicts your own unevidenced assertion, thus bringing balance back to the force. Mine agrees with the consensus at least. Maybe you're one of those aspartame people. Anyway.
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Does the majority of the world really have reasoning abilities that plateau at about six years old? It seems that way from the Internet. Fucking terrifying.
Yes it cooks your brain and you die. Wifi cooks brains. We're all doomed. Planet X.