BENGALURU:News of innovation in the most complex of products reaches us almost everyday. But one most often tends to forget the most basic problems according to Prakash Urs, an engineer who specialises in tackling some of the basic problems in products.
Take for example the ubiquitous toothbrush. 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 we ignore the basic instructions that lead to healthy teeth.
“Almost every expert tells 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 so that 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.
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.”