My first project for Oral-B, the SmartGuide display, was released in 2008. Using a proprietary wireless connection, it enabled glancable feedback during a brushing session, including brushing mode, time and warnings for too much pressure. It also introduced the Quad Pacer, a visual designed to guide brushers to spend the correct time in each area of their mouth.
Smartphones provided a much more capable platform to advance the concept of the SmartGuide. First released in 2013, I worked with an external design agency to create a digital design language for Oral-B, and oversaw the design of several versions of the app. Initial versions relied on sound detection to track time spent brushing, but with version 2.0 of the app, we released the world's first Bluetooth connected toothbrush. Having accurate data from the brush enabled a series of new features including on screen pressure warnings, customizable brushing routines, statistics tracking and achievements.
The Genius was the first brush designed to enhance the Oral-B app. Where the original SmartGuide would lead brushers to complete quadrants of their mouth, the Genius brush and Oral-B app tracks their brushing time in each area and automatically recommends additional time in poorly covered zones. The Position Detection system, co-developed with Fraunhofer Institute, uses extensive machine learning and realtime image analysis to understand the relationship between what the phone is seeing via the front facing camera, and telemetry data from motion sensors in the brush, enabling the app to accurately track the brush's position in 6 areas of the mouth.