Put your mobile where your mouth is (Mobile phone implanted in tooth)

BBC News Online ^ | Thursday, 20 June, 2002, 11:44 GMT 12:44 UK | BBC News

[Momaw Nadon]

Soon you could be swapping your mobile phone for a molar phone.

Royal College of Art students in London have developed a phone that fits inside a tooth.

The concept device picks up signals with a radio receiver and uses a tiny vibrating plate to convey them as sound along the jawbone to a person's ear.

The designers said the mini-molar phone could be implanted in a tooth during routine dental surgery.

The prototype phone is the work of graduates James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau and forms part of the Royal College of Art's annual summer exhibition.

Known as The Show, this exhibition shows off the best ideas of the current crop of RCA designers and students.

Bits and bites

Currently, the tooth phone is only a mock-up and lacks the communications chip to actually turn it into a functioning device.

Mr Auger said the technology to turn it into a working device already existed and it would be a simple matter to build the relevant chips into the gadget.

The designers speculate that, if the tooth phone becomes a working device, it could be used by stock traders to receive up-to-the-moment information about share prices or to help football managers communicate quickly with players during key matches.

However, the existing design is only supposed to help stimulate debate about future wearable computing devices and to help explore the social and cultural ramifications of in-body technology.

The tooth phone is on show at the Science Museum in London from the 21 June to November.

Development of the device was funded by the National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts as part of a collaboration between the Science Museum and the Royal College of Art.

[Momaw Nadon]

FYI and Discussion

[MadRobotArtist]

If this is what I think it is, It's not just a phone, but a tracking device, with the ability to not only specify your location, but can tell you things you might not want to hear. Then there's the suggestive qualities, make you hear voices, and potentially be painful, and or destructive to your health. Of course what I'm saying is all tinfoil hat stuff, but watch wait and see. If you get one of these things implanted, see how many people wack out over time. It's going to happen. You can believe that this will indeed be the demise of a lot of people's lives.

[RippleFire]

No belching!

[Future Snake Eater]

How is it powered?

[swarthyguy]

Just don't leave it on by accident if you're having an clandestine affair.

[RichInOC]

"Can you hear me now?...Good."

[maximus@Nashville]

Do you have to use a toothpick to dial?

[tracer]

It could be powered by the continual jacking of the jaws of people who have nothing better too do than yack about nothing on their "image-building" toys...

[tracer]

It could be powered by the continual jacking of the jaws of people who have nothing better too do than yack about nothing on their "image-building" toys...

[BallandPowder]

Powder..Patch..Ball FIRE!

It's not just a phone, but a tracking device, with the ability to not only specify your location

That was my first thought when hearing about this, personal tracking, second thought was about phone sex...GRIN!

[MadRobotArtist]

Uh... Um... Bwhahahahahahhahaha

[Falcon4.0]

This reminds me of the James Coburn movie in the 60's or early 70's "The Presidents Analyst".
In the movie there was a plot by AT&T to install a miniature telephone in everyone's brain thus "Controlling the World"

[jwalsh07]

Solar power, you have to smile a lot. If you're in a bad mood and frowning all day the phone won't vibrate. Its a standard feature.

[thefactor]

Wow. Only the second post. Um, I assume this device will have clip-on/hand device that allows it to be turned on and off like a regular phone. I dont think people will be to keen about having something in their ear that sputters on endlessly about nothing in particular and cannot be shut off. That is why G-d made women. Flame suit ON! Just kidding folks.

[Free the USA]

Bump list and fyi

[stainlessbanner]

"Hello, is your molar phone running?"
"Yes"
"Then you might want to catch it!

[inquest]

Of course, even if it doesn't do all those things you described, and just acts like a phone, it's still going to be the demise of a lot of people's lives. Society's getting way too wired...

[joesnuffy]

If they can put a phone in a tooth then they could put a phone booth in Sandra Bernhardts mouth...theres a fraternity/Guiness record op in there somewhere.

[OXENinFLA]

Good Question. Every week you need to do a shot of gasoline?