New interactive mouthpiece with hands-free control paves way

Dental Tribune International

Fri. 1 November 2024

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass., US: Most wearable electronics are worn on the skin, and intra-oral devices are rare. Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and Aarhus University have created MouthIO, a dental appliance with sensors and feedback systems that allows for hands-free device control and health monitoring via in-mouth interactions. Unlike traditional voice-activated devices, this retainer-like appliance allows users to control technology using their mouths, a potential breakthrough for those with motor impairments.

The transparent MouthIO is customised from a dental scan and modelled using a special plug-in in the design software Blender. This plug-in allows users to create a personalised device and integrate electronic components like batteries, temperature sensors, accelerometers and touch detectors. Once designed, the appliance is 3D-printed in dental resin for a snug, customised fit.

The new MIT Mouth IO interactive mouthpiece. (Images: Sebastian Krog; MIT CSAIL)

Key features of MouthIO include its ability to monitor oral activity such as bruxism and to control devices by registering tongue taps on sensors embedded in the appliance. For instance, tongue taps can transmit commands to scroll a webpage, using the mouth for hands-free interaction.

According to Dr Michael Wessely, senior author of a paper on the appliance and head of the Interactive Matter Lab at Aarhus University, MouthIO represents an opportunity to integrate wearables in the mouth—a challenging but largely unexplored space owing to the mouth’s complex shape and moisture. The device’s potential for real-time health insights, like monitoring jaw movements or detecting bacteria, makes it promising for healthcare applications, as dentists are interested in exploring these new possibilities.

MouthIO’s modular design provides two main formats: a full-coverage appliance and an open-bite version that leaves teeth partially exposed. This open-bite design avoids speech issues like lisping, making the device comfortable for extended wear. During testing, participants favoured this format, and one experiment showed that it could warn users with a vibrational alert when a beverage exceeded a safe temperature.

Producing MouthIO costs around US$15 and takes just 2 hours to print. Dr Wessely and his team are further refining the appliance, including creating a lingual or palatal version for greater comfort and invisibility and exploring additional placements in the mouth, such as on the cheek or palate. They also plan to integrate wireless charging and communication.

Through its user-friendly design, affordability and adaptability, MouthIO showcases the potential of wearable technology in non-traditional hands-free spaces. The researchers aim to conduct longer studies to optimise it for everyday use and further establish its place among assistive and health-monitoring technologies.

The study, titled “MouthIO: Fabricating customizable oral user interfaces with integrated sensing and actuation”, was published online on 11 October 2024 in UIST ’24: Proceedings of the 37^th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology.