If you’re into tracking your diet but find it difficult to do so with apps, this new tooth sensor may help! The tooth-mounted sensor created by biomedical engineer Fiorenzo Omenetto of Tufts University could be the future of food tracking, eliminating the need to input your calories into a tracking app.
The tooth-sensor is just 2 x 2 mm and consists of three layers. Two gold, split-ring resonators buffer a middle layer of bio-responsive material like silk film and hydrogel. This layer contains enzymes to detect specific molecules and change the chemical conditions between the resonators, which then transmit ambient radio frequencies. The tiny sensor was tested with water, alcohol, mouthwash, apple juice, and soup, and did transmit various frequencies according to what the testers ingested.
However, in its current state, the tooth-sensor is a bit limited. It can sense if you’re eating sugar, salt, or alcohol in real time and that information is transmitted properly. Yet, it can’t track the calories of the food you consume.
“We’re pretty far away from having the app that tells you, ‘You have consumed 216.3 calories today’. But it’s really not implausible to think that you can get there tomorrow,” said Omenetto.
The tech might not be consumer-ready just yet, but it’s pretty exciting nonetheless. With this tooth-sensor and other promising tech like glasses that monitor your chewing and a headband stimulates your vestibular nerve to burn fat, the future of health related tech is near.
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