New toothbrush design with auto tilting head to help you smile brighter

BENGALURU: News of innovation in the most complex of products reaches us almost everyday - from small incremental performance tweaks to massive overhauls of old products - innovation, specially in the tech sector, is progressing by leaps and bounds. But one most often tends to forget the most basic problems according to Prakash Urs, an innovator and an engineer who specialises in tackling some of the basic problems in products.

Take for example the ubiquitous toothbrush. An instrument which has been around for hundreds of years. While there have been several different models including battery powered ones, they have failed to tackle the most simple problem which according to Urs is simply the fact that most of us ignore the basic instructions that lead to healthy teeth.

“You are told almost by every expert that the proper way to brush your teeth is in an upwards and downwards motion. This is essential to reach in the space between teeth and prevent the buildup of plaque. Yet how many of us actually bother? Most just brush sideways in a horizontal motion,” he said.
Urs’ latest invention, the ‘hi-white’, seeks to address this problem.

The brush features an ‘auto tilting head’ which takes the horizontal movement of the hand and converts it into an angular movement which ensures that the brush bristles reach into the area between the teeth.
“Sideways brushing can scrape off the enamel and also hurt gums. With this simple addition of a tilting head, I managed to reduce the pressure on the tooth as well as ensure the bristles reach where they are supposed to with no extra effort by the user,” he said, speaking to The New Indian Express.

With an Indian patent for the same, Urs is now planning to sell these toothbrushes for less than `100 per piece. “The brush comes with three detachable heads which can increase the longevity of the product,” he said.“The best brush is yet to come but this is a good way of ensuring everyone gets to brush in a healthy fashion,” he added.

IT’S THE EVERYDAY PROBLEMS THAT CATCH HIS ATTENTION

During the past few years, Urs has also come out with several other products which make daily life easier for people. “We studied the problem of eating from a plate with low rims while holding it in your hand. Often, it is a battle to scoop the food with one hand and ensure it doesn’t fall out of the plate. While eating on a table is easier, in Indian situations, one often finds themselves standing and eating,” he said. The ‘Scoop Easy’, another solution by Urs with an Indian patent, makes it easier to eat while balancing the plate in one hand. “It is like a spoon but with a flat side which sits against the plate. You hold the scoop easy in place with the thumb of the hand which is holding the plate and you scoop your food up against it with the spoon,” he explained.