If we assume everybody is acting on the advice of their dentist and replacing their toothbrush every few months, then there's likely a lot of frayed bristles laying in landfill right now. But must our dental care devices take on such as short lifespan? The Goodwell open-source toothbrush is a modern take on oral hygiene, built from eco-friendly materials and made to last until you haven't got any teeth left to brush.
The truly enduring component of the Goodwell toothbrush is the medical-grade aluminum handle. This combines with interchangeable, eco-friendly attachments to make up an environmentally friendly "toothkit."
The toothbrush uses bristles made from biodegradable charcoal fibers, while the flossing and tongue scraping attachments are made from polished bamboo composite. This means they can be tossed in the compost rather than the trash can once you're done with them. An optional subscription service sees replacements shipped out to users each month.
The Goodwell toothbrush unscrews at the bottom, enabling users to store toothpicks, aspirin or other bits and pieces inside the handle. In a tip of the hat to the many smart toothbrushes already on the market, this storage space can also play home to a data tracker. Equipped with a microcontroller and 3-axis accelerometer, this component is designed to keep tabs on one's oral hygiene and present it through a website or mobile app, though this won't be available until at least spring 2015 (Northern Hemisphere).
The company has made the device open-source, releasing CAD data in hope that users will develop their own ideas for attachments. This extends to the data tracker in anticipation of software engineers creating third party apps for the toothbrush.
Following a successful crowdfunding campaign, the Goodwell is now available for preorder. Packages start at US$59 for a toothbrush only, while the premium kits with flosser, tongue scraper and carry case are priced at $79. A one year subscription costs $79.
Source: The Goodwell Company
